How I Met Your Mother
by Shadow Koneko
Summary: Who needs Cinderella? Tohru's daughter finds stories about her parents much more interesting. Kyo/Tohru
1. Naptime

Note: This story will be a series of short stories. I wanted to do another Kyo/Tohru story and got the idea for this one while watching the TV show "How I Met Your Mother." This will be done in a similar format, where the parents will be telling the child a bunch of different stories about their past.

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya and not me.

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How I Met Your Mother  
_Chapter One: Naptime_

Tohru Sohma's chocolate eyes darted towards the clock hanging on the east wall of her kitchen. After a moment of watching the ticking hands, her eyes slowly fell back on the pot in front of her. She slowly moved the wooden spoon around the pot, stiring the miso soup she planned on serving for dinner that night. Tohru started chewing on her bottom lip and added another pinch of seasoning to the concoction.

It was almost three in the afternoon, the worst time of the day for her. The hour seemed to drag by and she would always get impatient. Tohru let out a small sigh and turned the burner down low. As she did so, a smile crept its way onto her lips. His stern voice rang in her ears, reminding her to be careful, like he did every morning.

His absence was half of what made this time so hard. He wouldn't be home from the dojo for another hour. Every moment he was away was hard for her because she wished he didn't have to go in the first place. Tohru wanted them to be together every minute of the day, but she knew that wasn't possible. After all, he had inherited his surrogate father's dojo and it was his responsibility to take care of it. It had been his dream, and she wasn't about to stand in his way.

_Maybe Kyo-kun will decide to come home early today…_She thought with hope. Her mind floated to an image of him walking out of the woods, down the winding dirt path that led to their house. She would be waiting for him on the porch, as usual. He would smile the minute he saw her and then kiss her forehead.

Tohru touched her cheek, feeling it burning beneath her fingers. Just thinking about him made her heart jump. She knew was completely in love with him.

Now, the other half of her impatience was waiting in the other room. Tohru scurried out of the kitchen and down the hall. She stopped outside of one of the doors and rapped lightly on it, "Kyoko-chan? May I come in?"

Tohru waited till she heard a shuffling noise from behind the door. Then the door slid open and she was greeted by a small voice, "Come on mommy, not yet! I want to play some more!"

Tohru smiled down at her spitting-image daughter. With her chin-length, dark brown hair and large eyes, Kyoko-chan looked exactly like her mother. It seemed like the only things she inherited from her father were his auburn colored eyes and his fiery personality.

"I'm sorry but you need to take a nap…" Tohru tried to convince her daughter by holding out her hand. The little girl gave her a soured look but took her hand anyway. Tohru led her daughter down the hall, towards her room.

Kyoko bounded from her mothers side and jumped onto her bed. She threw the covers over herself and looked at her mother, "When's daddy coming home?"

Tohru bit her lip, "Soon."

Kyoko fiddled with the sheets before asking, "Will you tell me a bedtime story?"

Tohru smiled brightly and pulled up a chair beside the bed, "Sure. Would you like to hear the one about Cinderella-san again? Or maybe-"

"I wanna hear one about how you met daddy!" Kyoko's lips curled into a huge smile and her eyes went starry.

A light pink blush spread across Tohru's cheeks, "U-um…I don't know…"

"Come on mommy…just one story? _Please_?" She pleaded. Tohru sighed, defeated as her daughter unleashed puppy-dog eyes that nobody could refuse. Maybe this would help pass the time until Kyo came home.

"PLEEEASSEEE? I wanna' hear about you and daddy! It's probably a thousand times better than Cinderella!"

She really hoped it would because after Kyoko fell asleep, the afternoon dragged on until four. There would be nothing else to keep her busy until he got home. Tohru folded her hands in her lap, getting comfortable, "Okay, Kyoko-chan. One story."

"YAY!"

"Now then…" Tohru began, "What's a good story about me and your father…"

She was drawing a complete blank. Kyoko's urgent stare forced her to think harder, but she was completely lost. She racked her brain until she thought of, what she thought was, a pretty good story.

Tohru's cheeks turned pink upon remembering the story but she began anyway, "Well…Once upon a time, your daddy and I lived with Uncle Shigure and Uncle Yuki…"

* * *

((Flashback))

Tohru walked down the path that led back to Shigure Sohma's home. She was in a pretty good mood. It was a Friday afternoon and she had heard that Kyo was planning to come straight home instead of stopping at Kazuma's.

"I can't believe that stupid cat had to stay after and take a make-up test," Yuki Sohma muttered from beside her. His gray hair fluttered in the wind as she looked up at him, "I'm sure Kyo-kun will do better this time."

She was just glad that he was coming straight home afterwards. Anytime that she got to spend with him made her happy. Tohru knew that they didn't have much time left before Kyo was supposed to be imprisoned, so she tried to spend as much time together as possible. However, the more time she spent with him, they more she found herself falling in love with him. She planned to keep her feelings to herself, because she thought there was no way he could feel the same way about her.

"Welcome home!" A cheery voice shouted from the porch. Tohru and Yuki looked up to see Shigure waiting for them. He had a basket in one of his hands.

"Hello, Shigure-san," Tohru bowed politely. "Are you going somewhere?"

Shigure patted the basket in his hand, "I remembered I have to go pick up a few things. I probably won't be back until late, so you two behave yourselves."

With that, he sauntered off with his basket in hand and a huge grin plastered on his face. Yuki shook his head and rubbed his temple, "I don't even want to know…"

Tohru smiled awkwardly, "Well that was…unexpected. What are you going to do now Yuki-kun?"

Yuki suddenly turned to her, a frown on his serious looking face, "I'm sorry, Honda-san but I also have something I need to do. I promised Kuragi-san that I would go to her house."

Tohru listened to his explanation with wide eyes. Yuki waited for her to say something and when she didn't he prompted "That means you'll be _alone._"

Tohru's eyes widened even further and she gasped, suddenly remembering that Kyo wasn't with them. She hated being alone and they both knew that. Yuki's features softened, "I can call Machi and tell her I can't go. It's no big deal."

"No!" Tohru cried frantically, her arms flailing, "Don't cancel your plans because of me! I'll be fine! Besides Kyo-kun will be home soon…"

Tohru's cheeks reddened when she said his name. She was thankful that Yuki didn't seem to notice her embarrassment. Yuki ran a hand through his silver hair, his purple eyes gazing off into the distance, "Well…if you insist. Let me give you her number. Don't hesitate to call if you need me."

Tohru smiled as he handed her a tiny slip of paper with the number scribbled on it. Yuki and Kyo always treated her like a child, but she didn't mind. It felt nice to be looked after; to be worried and fussed over. She didn't like it when they did it all the time but once in awhile was okay.

She waved to him from the doorway until he had disappeared into the woods. Tohru lowered her hand, the smile fading from her face. Now she was by herself. She retreated into the house, put her things away and changed out of her school uniform. She threw on a knee-length blue skirt and a white t-shirt.

_I'll just get started on my chores until Kyo-kun gets home…_Tohru shuffled into the kitchen and began pulling things out for dinner that night. She started chopping up vegetables and put a scoop full of rice into the rice cooker. She threw the vegetables into a pot and began to stir. Her eyes occasionally wandered to the clock, and she was surprised at what time it was when she finished.

_It's almost 5 o'clock…Where is Kyo-kun?_

Tohru decided that worrying about it would only make her more anxious, so she decided to start the laundry. She went to her room and picked up all the dirty clothes. Next, she went and gathered Yuki and Shigure's things. Finally, she was at Kyo's room. She stood outside his door, chewing on her bottom lip.

She had never been in his room by herself. He had always gotten his dirty clothes and things that needed to be washed for her and handed them to her himself. Tohru took a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut and entered his room.

_Just grab his stuff and get out!_ Her mind screamed with determination as she pushed into the room.

However, all that flew out of her brain completely. The minute she entered the room, her nose was assaulted with his scent. She didn't know it well because she could never get that close to him, but she knew this had to be it. It smelled very woodsy and earthy, and it wasn't too overbearing.

_His clothes!_

"Oh! Right!" Tohru scrambled to scoop up his dirty t-shirts and khakis off of the floor. As she stood up, with an armful of clothes, she noticed a shelf filled with assorted trinkets and knickknacks.

Tohru cocked her head to one side, finding it quite odd that Kyo would hold onto this many things. He didn't seem like that type of person to her. One item that stuck out in particular to her was a dark red book. Tohru glanced over her shoulder at the open door behind her.

_I really shouldn't…It would be so bad…but I guess it wouldn't hurt to peek at the cover…_

Tohru really didn't want to pry, but she was utterly curious. Anything she could do to learn more about Kyo while she still could.

She shifted the dirty clothes to under her right arm and pulled the book out with her free hand. Tohru examined the tattered red cover. The spine was cracked and the edges of the white paper inside appeared to be frayed. There was nothing written on the cover but from the books appearance, she guessed it had been used many times.

"I wonder what it is?" She said aloud. It didn't look like a storybook, at least not one she had seen before. Tohru mentally reminded herself that she was only supposed to look at the cover, so she decided to put the book back. Just as it was almost back in its proper place, she heard a voice from downstairs.

"Tohru?" It called. "Where the hell is everyone…"

_Kyo-kun!_ She thought, panic washing over her. She instinctively dropped the book, gathered the clothes and darted for the exit. He was leaning in the doorway, just when she was about to make a break for it.

"Hey," He said somewhat suspiciously. He leaned down so he was closer to her, one arm still against the frame of the door, "What are you doing?"

Tohru avoided his smoldering amber gaze, her coffee-colored eyes staring at the floor instead, "L-laundry…" She mumbled.

She pushed past him, blushing profusely and feeling guilty for even going into his room. Kyo watched her scurry down the stairs, still a bit confused. He shrugged and pushed off the door, following her down.

_Guess I'll give her a hand_. He thought, even though doing laundry wasn't exactly exhilarating. However, if it meant he could be with Tohru, he didn't care. He ambled outside, his hands stuffed into his pockets, and over to the laundry line. She seemed to be quite focused on hanging the dirty clothes, and was muttering to herself.

Kyo came up behind her, "Want some help?"

Tohru jumped, going red in the face. She turned around and smiled awkwardly, "N-no, I'm okay. You can go relax, Kyo-kun…"

Kyo shook his head and grabbed a shirt from the pile, "If anyone needs to relax it's you. You look pretty anxious…"

Tohru's shaky hand grabbed a pair of pants from the pile, "I-I do?"

Kyo pinned the shirt to the line and nodded. He watched her for moment, out of the corner of his eye. She was sweating and blushing. He had never really seen Tohru this stressed out. Maybe she was in trouble?

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kyo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tohru nearly dropped the skirt that was in her hands, "Yes!" She replied, but her uneasy smile told him otherwise. Something was up.

Kyo decided not to mention it again, in order to help her hold onto her sanity. He finished pinning the last shirt and she snatched the basket up. He heard her mutter something about dinner and watched her race off into the house. Kyo was quite confused. He had never seen her act this way, except for when he teased her.

He shrugged and followed her, walking back into Shigure's house. By the time he got back inside, she had already disappeared into the kitchen. Kyo sat down at the table, craning his neck to watch her.

Tohru was hovering over a pot of something, darting quickly from the fridge, then to the rice maker and back to the pot. She was waiting for him to say something about her acting sneaky. Her insides churned with guilt about looking at his things and she wished he would just accuse her and get it over with.

Kyo watched her frantic behavior with a baffled expression. He tried to figure out what could have happened to make her so panicky. _Maybe something happened at school? I probably would have heard about it though…maybe I did something?_

He shook his head. Kyo could not remember upsetting her or getting angry with her in the quite awhile. He thought that he had handled his temper quite well. He called to her in the kitchen and told her he was going upstairs. Tohru only gave a panicked yelp in response.

Kyo decided to ignore that, seeing that her alarming behavior only got worse when he asked her about it. _Maybe she finally went nuts…_He knew he would have, if he had to wait hand and foot on that dog.

He climbed up the stairs and hiked to his room. When he got to the doorway, his eyes immediately noticed an object on the floor. A familiar dark red book was left open on the floor, near the shelf that usually held it. Now it was Kyo's turn to panic, as he had hoped that _nobody_ would ever see the contents of that book.

This notebook had been a present from Kazuma. He had told Kyo that he thought it would help with his anger problems. Whenever Kyo was feeling upset about something, he was supposed to write it down in this book. Kazuma had called it a "Venting-book."

Much to Kyo's surprise, the idea worked. Getting all these things off his chest by writing them down helped him feel a lot better. But these were things that Kyo never wanted anyone else to know about.

_I knew I should've hidden that damn thing better…_He gulped as he walked over to the open book, nervous about finding out which of his secrets had been exposed. He already had a good idea though, about at least one that had been discovered. He reached down with a shaky hand and picked up the journal. Kyo's heart sank when he saw what page had been left open:

_Monday,_

_School pretty much SUCKED. That damn Uotani girl tried to pick a fight with me __again.__ I can't say anything though because she'd just hit me. What's the point? And then that creepy wave chick…ugh. This is dumb. They probably just do it so I won't talk to Tohru…Okay, now this is really dumb. Why the hell is it that everything I write about goes back to her? It seems like every damn page in this book says something about her. There's no way it would work…no matter how much I love-_

Kyo stopped reading there, remembering where the entry went after that. Every entry seemed to go like that. Sometimes he wished that he had never fallen in love with Tohru. It would have certainly made his life much easier, but then it would have felt empty.

"How the hell did it get on the floor-" Kyo asked himself aloud and then paused. Tohru had been in his room when he got home. The book hadn't been on the floor when he left. What if…what if Tohru had seen the book? She could have read every little thing he wrote, heard him come home, then dropped it on the floor and tried to escape his room before he saw. She did look like she had been trying to run out of the room earlier.

_That would explain why she's been acting so awkward…cause' now she knows that I'm in love with-…SHIT!_ Kyo dropped the book and darted for the door. He practically flew down the stairs. Why hadn't he noticed it before? She was blushing like crazy around him and looked for any excuse to get away from him.

She knew how he felt and didn't know what to say. Kyo's run slowed to a walk. What if she was avoiding him because she didn't feel the same way? She probably didn't and didn't want to hurt his feelings. That was what he expected, anyway.

He stood in the kitchen doorway, watching her cook and contemplating his current predicament. He had two options: He could confront her about it and get rejected or he could continue with this awkwardness between them. Kyo shook his head and trudged into the kitchen, "How much longer till' dinner's ready?"

Tohru jumped, gasping at the sound of his voice. He had been sneaking up on her all afternoon, "N-not too much longer!"

She heard him sigh and retreat to the dinner table. Tohru quickly went back to molding the rice in her hands. She was in for it now; she could feel it coming. He had gone upstairs and seen the book on the floor. He would accuse her of snooping and never want to speak to her again.

Tohru grabbed a large spoon and put the soba noodles into a bowl. She grabbed the sauce for the noodles and headed towards the table. She practically threw them on the table and ducked back into the kitchen, unable to stand the suspense when she was around him. Kyo stared at the bowl of noodles, his crimson gaze slightly gloomy.

Tohru returned moments later, with riceballs. She set them down on the table and sat down across from Kyo. _Figures…_He thought with a frown as he picked at his noodles _She's sitting as far away as possible._

"So…" Kyo began, his eyes locking on her. He decided to go with is first option and get it over as soon as possible.

Tohru looked up, but avoided his eyes, "U-um…how did your test go?"

"Good. I think I did much better this time. I shouldn't have screwed up the first time, though." He replied with a shrug. At least their conversations didn't seem as awkward as before.

Tohru smile at him, "That's good. I'm glad you did good, Kyo-kun."

"Yeah," He answered and took a bite of his soba, "What were you up to while I was taking my test?"

He watched her chocolate eyes widen the minute the question left his mouth. Tohru began to squirm in her seat, "I cooked dinner…and did the laundry," She squeaked out.

Kyo bit off a piece of a riceball. Did she have to make this difficult?

"Mhm," He muttered, trying to sound as disbelieving as possible. Tohru started to feel a panic settling in her chest. She waited for him to blame her for going through his things, but he never said anything. After moments under his intimidating stare, she bolted for the kitchen, taking her empty plate with her.

She threw her dishes into the sink and began to scrub furiously. _I never should have gone in there! It was DUMB! Now he's going to get mad…and…and if I can't talk to Kyo-kun anymore…_The idea made her chest feel heavy and her throat feel tight.

Kyo had followed her to the kitchen, but instead of sneaking up on her like before, he spoke softly from the entrance, "Tohru?"

She turned around, smiling awkwardly, "Oh, sorry Kyo-kun…but I was finished. Would you like me to wash your plates too?"

"No," He replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "I want you to _explain_."

"E-explain?"

"Yeah," He replied, walking towards her. It seemed like it had only been seconds, but he was already in front of her. Kyo placed both his hands on the counter, trapping her.

Her face turned beet red. One wrong move and Kyo would turn into a cat. She stammered, "W-what would you like me to explain, Kyo-kun?"

"About the book," He replied, controlling his tone rather well. He stood there, bracing himself for the rejection.

Tohru chewed on her bottom lip and finally blurted out, "I'm sorry!"

Kyo closed his eyes, and his tense shoulders relaxed. It was all over and he could now go sulk on the roof. However, Tohru wasn't finished. His eyes opened his astonishment when she continued.

"I only went in there to get your dirty clothes…b-but then I saw the book and I wanted to just look at it…" She continued babbling, hoping to explain it in a way that wouldn't make him mad.

"…And so you opened it and read my biggest secret." He finished for her, closing his eyes again. He was about to pull away, when he felt a tug on his shirt, "N-no! I would never do that, Kyo-kun! I only looked at the cover, I swear!"

Kyo wheeled around, surprised by what she said, "You didn't read it?"

Tohru shook her head, her long brunette hair swishing around her face. Her eyes squeezed shut as she plead, "Honest! I didn't read it. When you came home I was looking at the cover and I dropped the book to get out of the room…I'm so sorry, Kyo-kun…"

Kyo stood there for a moment, looking into her eyes. They were practically begging. He wouldn't have been surprised if she started crying. Kyo's lips slowly pulled into a crooked grin. He began chuckling and that threw Tohru into a panic. What had she done now?

"Kyo-kun!" She said, alarmed and rushed to him.

Kyo straightened up, his cheeks slightly red, "Sorry about that. This whole thing was just a misunderstanding."

"Huh?"

He patted her head, "Don't worry about it. You shouldn't have been so troubled about it. All you did was look at one of my books. No big deal."

_And I shouldn't have either. The idea of someone like her snooping is pretty stupid. _He mused and ruffled her hair.

"You're not mad?" She asked innocently as he pulled his hand away. He shook his head and she smiled at him. _What a relief._

"But I promise I'll never do anything like that again," She swore and he laughed again. "I want Kyo-kun to be able to tell me his biggest secret on his own."

Kyo took her hand and squeezed it lightly, causing her cheeks to turn pink. She looked up to see he was still smiling at her.

_Me too…_He thought, leading her out of the kitchen.

((End Flashback))

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Tohru took a deep breath, "And that's the story. I was pretty silly, huh?"

Kyoko stared at her mother with wide eyes, her fingers interlocked in her lap, "Daddy was sillier. Did he tell you that's what he thought?"

Tohru smiled and nodded, "It certainly would have been easier if I found out that way."

Kyoko frowned, "How did you find out! Tell me that story next, please!"

Tohru giggled and pushed back a lock of her daughter's hair, "Not now, Kyoko-chan. Maybe at bedtime. In fact, I'll think of a bunch of good stories about me and daddy while you take your nap, okay?"

Tohru noticed the glimmer in her daughter's eye. That was as good as a yes for her. She rose from her chair and Kyoko's head fell back onto the pillow. She dimmed the lights and exited Kyoko's room. Tohru made her way back to the kitchen, her eyes immediately landing on the clock. The numbers read 3:50.

Kyo would be home any minute. Tohru straightened out her dress and headed for the porch to wait for her Kyo-kun to return.

((End Chapter One))

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That's the first chapter! I'd like at least 10 reviews before an update, so please review if you'd like me to continue! .


	2. Welcome Home

Note: Thanks so much for all the reviews. I have a bunch of story ideas, so this story should be updated pretty quickly. Even though I have some ideas, you are welcome to leave a suggestion for a story for little Kyoko-chan in your reviews. Thanks again! :)

**Warning: This chapter will contain spoilers!**

Replies: I won't be replying to every review, only certain ones. Please don't be upset if I didn't respond to yours, but these were reviews that I felt needed responding to. D

_Kyki- The Late Night Writer:_ This is based on the manga, not the anime. It is sort of how I thought things turned out in between a certain part of the series that wasn't shown.

_Honey and Grime: _Thank you so much for the nice review! I hope you like this next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

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How I Met Your Mother  
_Chapter Two: Welcome Home_

Kyo's eyes focused on the path ahead of him. Everything else seemed to go by like a blur. His feet moved swiftly along the dirt trail, kicking up dust and leaves as he went.

It had been a long day at the dojo and he was exhausted. It had taken a great deal more patience then he thought to run that place. However, he thought he had grown much more patient over these past five years.

Others might not believe that when they first looked at him. Kyo didn't look much different then when he had graduated. His fiery red hair was still the same length, just dipping over his eyes. His auburn eyes still burned with the same intensity as they once had. The only two differences between him and his 17-year-old self, seemed to be their height, he was much taller, and his new demeanor.

Kyo felt so much lighter than he had five years ago and it was all because of _her_.

He would be nothing without his precious guardian angel. Kyo snorted at the thought and kicked a rock. Angel wasn't even a comparison. Tohru was his whole _life_. Without her, he would have been nothing, but because she chose him, he felt like he belonged somewhere for the first time in his life. He felt _wanted_.

That was what had surprised him the most. That she would want someone as damaged as him, when she was so broken herself. But she had chosen him and he couldn't have been happier. These last five years with her had been the best of his life.

And he was glad that she hadn't changed at all. She was still, innocent and pure, naïve and goofy, easily embarrassed but beautiful. Her physical appearance was the only thing that had changed. She had cut off her once waist-length brown hair. It now swung neatly by her shoulders, usually pulled back by a ribbon. Her brown eyes were still as lively and childlike as ever, though.

He pictured her in his mind. She would be waiting for him on their porch, a goofy smile plastered on her face. Her shoulder-length brunette hair would be fluttering in the fall air. He imagined her slender figure standing still, breathless. One creamy white hand was drawn up to her chest.

A smirk found its way to his lips. Everything about her was amazing, but the best thing of all, was that she was _his_. He closed his eyes, the image of her floating back into his mind. And sure enough, when he opened his eyes, his image had come to life.

There she was, waiting for him on the deck. Tohru's eyes lit up the minute he appeared and she ran to greet him. She stopped a few feet from him, gasping for breath. He chuckled lightly as he approached her. Kyo leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead.

"Hey," He whispered softly against her skin.

Tohru took a deep breath and smiled, "Welcome home, Kyo-kun."

Kyo buried his face into her hair, inhaling the scent that he knew so well. She smelled sweet, like strawberries, "I take it you missed me?"

Tohru frowned, not catching the sarcasm in his voice, "Of course I did…"

He laughed again and took her free hand. Tohru's other hand was too busy clutching his shirt, pulling him as close as possible. Kyo didn't mind though. After 16 years of not being able to hug anyone, this was the best feeling in the world.

Tohru squeezed his hand, signaling that she was ready to go inside. He led her up the steps and back into their home. His nose was immediately assaulted by a scent coming from the kitchen, "What are you making?"

"Miso so-"

"DAD-EEE!" A loud voice shrieked from the hallway. Kyo quickly let go of Tohru's hand and braced himself for the oncoming attacker. A small blur flew though the air and landed safely in his arms.

"Hi, daddy," Kyoko squealed and threw her arms around his neck. Kyo managed to pry her off of him and placed her back on the ground. He ruffled her hair affectionately,

"Hey, munchkin." Kyo said playfully.

Kyoko's tiny hands balled into fists, "I thought you said you wouldn't call me that?!"

"I did?" Kyo continued to provoke her. He and Tohru had both noticed that Kyoko had inherited his temper, but he found it fun to get a rise out of her.

"Yes. You did." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Kyo smirked and nodded. _There's no way in hell that she's only four_.

Tohru finally spoke up, stepping out from behind her husband, "Kyoko-chan, I thought that you were sleeping?"

"I _was_," The little girl answered. "But then I heard daddy come home, and I wanted to see him. I wanted to tell him the story you told me!"

Kyo turned to Tohru, whose cheeks turned pink. He blinked and then asked, "Story?"

Tohru smiled awkwardly, "I told Kyoko-chan a story about the two of us. She wanted to hear about us instead of Cinderella-san…"

Kyo sighed and glanced at his daughter out of the corner of his eye. Kyoko was beaming. He turned back to his wife and heaved another sigh, "Which story?"

"The one about your diary," Kyoko answered for her mother.

Kyo's eyebrow twitched. That wasn't exactly one of his shining moments. He had made Tohru so upset with guilt and she had nearly given him a heart attack.

Tohru noticed that his eyes had tightened and she tugged on his shirt, "I-I didn't call it a diary, Kyo-kun. Please don't be mad…"

At the sound of her pleading voice, Kyo was torn from his thoughts about the embarrassing moment. He lightly patted Tohru's head, "I'm not mad. Quite worrying."

Tohru breathed a sigh of relief and grinned at the two most important people in her life, "Well then, dinner is probably ready. Should we go?"

Tohru took Kyo's hand and then took Kyoko's hand and led them to the kitchen. She went over to the pot on the stove and poured its contents into a bowl. Kyo lifted up his daughter and placed her in her chair. Then, Tohru served the soup and the three of them began to eat.

Kyoko played with the soup in her dish, "Did you think of any more stories, mommy?"

Tohru paused, setting her spoon down. "Not yet." She admitted sheepishly.

Kyo slurped up another bite, "I can't believe you're telling her about us…"

Tohru's eyes widened, "She was curious…"

Dinner ran smoothly for the rest of the evening. Kyoko kept asking her father questions about the story Tohru had told her and by the end of the meal, he was ready to sleep. Tohru collected all of the dirty dishes and placed them in the sink. She peered over her shoulder and saw Kyoko rub her eyes.

"Kyo-kun-"

She didn't have to ask. Kyo picked up his daughter out of her chair and into his arms. Kyoko protested quietly that she wasn't tired, but Kyo carried her to her room anyway. He placed her gently on her bed and pulled the covers over her.

He was about to leave when he felt a tug on his shirt. Kyoko lifted her head up, her eyes half closed, "Daddy…Will you tell me a-"

"Story, right?" Kyo answered, scratching the back of his head, "How did I know…"

She smiled weakly, trying to fight off the oncoming sleepiness. Kyo sat down in the chair beside her bed. His brows furrowed in deep thought and he looked at Kyoko, "What story do you want to hear?"

He knew no matter what she picked, that this was going to be a disaster. Kyoko sat up, her eyes sparkling, "Tell me about your first date with mommy…"

Kyo grimaced, his mouth pulling up into an embarrassed grin. If Tohru were here, they'd be telling two completely different stories. She considered their first date their trip to the zoo. He liked to cross that out, because Uo and Hana had ruined it for him.

He thought, even though the next date hadn't gone much smoother, that their second date should have been their first…

* * *

((Flashback))

_There! All done!_

Tohru dotted the last sentence of her worksheet with a period. She had been in a rush to finish, but she thought she did a pretty good job. She shuffled her papers into a pile and the picked the heap up. She trotted to the front desk and left them on the edge.

Tohru smiled to herself the minute she was out the door. Waiting for her outside the door was her boyfriend. _Boyfriend_… Just thinking it sent chills up and down her spine.

She bounded over to him, latching onto his shirt, "Kyo-kun!"

The orange haired boy looked down at her with gentle eyes, "Hey, Tohru."

He took her hand in his and they started to walk to her locker. Tohru's free hand fumbled with the combination and she managed to get her locker open. She tossed her books inside and Kyo let go of her hand so she could grab the ones she needed. When she had everything she closed the locker.

Tohru turned to the side to see Kyo leaning casually against the row of lockers. He looked like he was thinking something over. She asked in a meek voice, "Kyo-kun? Is something wrong?"

Kyo pushed off the lockers, a smile on his face, "I wanted to ask you something…"

Tohru's expression became eager, "W-what?"

"I was thinking of taking you out again-"

He didn't have to finish because Tohru grabbed his hand. She blushed and beamed "Yes!"

He chuckled lightly and gripped her hand, "But this time, it'll just be the two of us."

Just thinking about the first time he tried to take her out gave him a headache. Uo and Hana had done nothing but act like overbearing parents the whole time. He barely got to spend anytime with Tohru. But now, there were no conditions about their second date. Uo and Hana only said that they wanted to come along on the _first _date.

Tohru was blushing profusely, trying to imagine what he could have planned, "I don't know Kyo-kun…I wouldn't want you to go through any trouble for me…"

Kyo sighed, "Don't give me that. I promise it won't be too much, okay?"

She smiled and nodded, making a mental note to call Uo and Hana when she got home. She walked side by side with Kyo back to Shigure's house. Once she was inside, Tohru unwillingly let go of him and head up to her room. Kyo called after her, letting her know to be ready by 6 o'clock.

She grabbed the phone that was in the upstairs hallway and dialed the number for Uo's apartment. The phone rang twice and Tohru began nibbling on her fingernails. Uo picked up on the third ring, "Hello?"

"Kyo-kun asked me out on a second date!" Tohru exclaimed, not being able to contain her excitement any more.

She heard a quiet laugh on the other end of the phone, "Let me guess…Tohru?"

"Mhm. How'd you know?"

"It's a bit obvious. Anyway, that's great about Kyon. I'll call Hana…What time should we be over?" Uo asked, playing with the cord of her phone.

Tohru bit her lip. She wasn't anticipating this but she had to tell her, "Um…Uo-chan…it's just going to be me and Kyo-kun."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, "I guess it would have to be sometime," She sighed. "At least let us come over and help you get ready."

_And scare the crap out of orange-top. _Uo grinned at the thought of messing with Tohru's boyfriend.

Tohru smile, "Okay! Can you come over around 5?"

"Sure. See you then."

There was an abrupt 'click' and Uo was gone. Tohru placed the phone back on the receiver and then proceeded to her closet. She began pulling out anything that she thought Uo and Hana would pick out.

It was 5 before she knew it and she waited by her door. Sure enough, she could hear them all the way downstairs.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Tohru heard Kyo bark.

"None of your business," Uo snapped back.

"Indeed. Now where is Tohru-kun?" Hana added. Tohru pictured the scene below her and shivered. She heard Kyo reply with a sneer, "None of your business."

Then Tohru heard a loud smash and pair coming up the steps. She shuttered. _Maybe I should go check on Kyo-kun…Uo-chan probably hit him too hard…_

But before she could even move, Uo and Hana reached the top of the steps. Uo waved to her, while Hana just gave a quiet nod. Tohru waved back, "Hi guys…"

Uo noticed the worried expression on her friends face, "Don't worry about Kyon. I didn't hit him too hard."

Tohru smiled awkwardly, while her friends pushed past her into her room. Their eyes widened when they saw the pile of clothes on Tohru's bed. They turned to their friend, both with raised eyebrows.

Tohru put her hands up, "I-I just wanted to make things easier for you…"

"Yes, but did you have to tear apart your whole closet?" Hana asked, eyeing the mound of clothes on the bed. They both walked over and started sorting through the pile.

"So where's Kyon taking you?" Uo asked, holding up a skirt.

Tohru shook her head, her brown hair flying around in wisps, "I'm not sure. He didn't say. He's probably trying to surprise me…"

"Or he doesn't even know yet," Hana mumbled. The clock was nearing 5:30 when they finally decided on an outfit. They had picked out a knee-length, pleated peach skirt and an off white blouse.

Tohru disappeared into the bathroom to change. When she reappeared she was completely dressed, her blouse tucked neatly into the skirt. She had buttoned it all the way up, to show off the pretty laced detailing near the neck. Uo fussed over the shirt's puffy sleeves and after a moment, was satisfied.

"There," Uo smiled, "You look cute Tohru-kun. Now let's do your hair."

Tohru looked confused. What was wrong with her hair?

She ran her fingers through her delicate brown locks. Tohru was told to sit down on the bed, while Hana sat down behind her. She felt a brush being pulled though her hair, while Uo stood in front of her.

Uo had a much smaller brush, covered in a pink powder. Hana began to gently pull at Tohru's hair, securing it behind her head.

"Just sit still, Tohru-kun." Hana said quietly, "This may take some time."

_Where the hell is she?!_ Kyo thought as he paced back and forth again. He had been walking in circles at the bottom of the steps for the past ten minutes. Tohru shouldn't be taking this long to get ready. However, what really made him nervous was that Uo and Hana were up there with her. They were probably coaching her through the date. He had a feeling this was going to be like their first date all over again!

Kyo scratched the back of his head, feeling himself starting to break out into a sweat. He was about to turn around and start pacing again when he heard a small voice.

"Um…Kyo-kun?"

He wheeled around and his eyes went wide. Tohru was standing at the bottom of the stairs, fully dressed and ready to go. He felt himself settling into a stare. The outfit that she was wearing looked adorable. Her hair had been pulled back into a high ponytail, secured by a white ribbon. Tohru's face was practically glowing. A pink colored powder had highlighted her cheeks and there was something sparkly on her lips. Kyo noticed that she looked like she was having trouble keeping her balance. He guessed it was because she was wearing high heels that had ribbons that wound up around her ankles.

Kyo couldn't bear to tear himself away but then Uo and Hana appeared behind Tohru. They both glared at him and he turned away, scowling. Yes, Tohru's appearance was definitely their doing.

Uo put a protective arm on Tohru's shoulder, "You don't look half-bad orange top."

Kyo sniffed audibly. He was only wearing a black polo shirt and pair of khakis, nothing extremely fancy. In fact, he didn't think he looked half as good as she did. Uo eyes narrowed slightly, "Just remember to play nice, 'kay?"

Tohru pulled away from her friends, her eyes pleading, "Uo-chan, Hana-chan, everything will be fine. Kyo-kun and I will be okay…"

"Right," Kyo mumbled and took the opportunity to grab his girlfriend's hand. He dragged Tohru out the door and she mumbled a quick goodbye to her friends.

Uo turned to Hana, "Are you thinking what I am?"

Hana nodded, "Of course. Shall we?"

"Lets." Uo replied and she and the psychic followed quietly after the happy couple. They still didn't trust Kyo and planned to keep an eye on him.

Tohru struggled to keep up with her date, but she eventually fell into stride with him. She looked up at him, seeing that his cheeks were burning. She decided to try and change the subject, "So…where are we going?"

A small smile appeared on his lips, "If I tell you, you won't want to go."

She squeezed his hand, "You promised nothing too fancy…"

Kyo sighed and returned the gesture, "Tohru, you have a different definition of fancy. Just don't worry about it okay? I promise it won't be to much."

_I have a feeling she's going to worry no matter what…and I smell lots of protesting coming on…_He thought with a frown. Tohru turned away and continued to follow him. Kyo was right and she was still anxious about it.

_What if he's spending all his extra money on me?_ She deliberated. _He'll be broke because of me! I can't let Kyo-kun do this! I have to tell him that I don't want to go...but then he'll get the wrong idea and he'll think that I don't like him! What do I do? What do I-_

"We're here."

"Huh?" Kyo's soft voice had jostled her out of her panicky thoughts. Tohru looked up to see that they were standing outside of a tiny restaurant.

The building was made of brownish-red bricks and had green windows. Tohru noticed that is was fenced off around the side. Inside the fenced area, the ground was covered in gray cobblestones and had a few black tables and matching chairs strewn about.

Tohru looked down at her feet, wondering if she'd be able to walk on the stones in her heels. She didn't want to trip and fall. She'd probably end up hurting herself and it would ruin all the trouble Kyo had gone through to set this up.

"Not too much?" Kyo asked apprehensively.

"No, it's…" Tohru paused, searching for the right word, "nice."

He grinned and led her through the green double doors. A lady was waiting by a podium with two menus in her hands. Her short gray hair was parted to one side and tucked neatly behind her ear. She smiled at them warmly, "You must be the young man that called. Sohma right?"

Kyo nodded and they followed the woman. She led them through another pair of doors and outside. Tohru looked down. There it was: that dreaded cobblestone. Kyo felt her lean against him and he chuckled.

"Just take your time," He said, trying to act like extra support for her. Tohru could feel the hostess watching her, trying not to laugh. It must have been quite a scene.

The hostess led them to one of the tiny black tables with two chairs. Kyo helped Tohru get into her seat before he sat down. She sighed with relief and sank into the chair.

"Thanks, Kyo-kun!" She smiled at him and picked up her menu.

Kyo smiled back, chuckling lightly. Leave it to Tohru to thank him for something as simple as pulling her chair out for her. He picked up his own menu and let his eyes absently scan over it. He was more concerned about listening to anything she had to say.

Tohru peered over her menu and studied her date for a minute. She put her menu back down on the table and mumbled bashfully, "I have no idea what to pick…"

Kyo frowned, "Your not worrying about the prices are you?"

Tohru glanced down at her menu quickly. She hadn't even looked at the prices yet. His stern voice caused her eyes to snap back up, "Don't even think about it, Tohru."

"But I-"

"Just pick something," Kyo replied, his voice still firm.

And that was the end of that. The look in his eyes and the sound of his voice told her not to argue with him. He wanted to do this his way and didn't want her to fuss over it. At that moment, their waitress chose to walk over.

She was dressed like the hostess, in all black. Her medium length brunette hair had been pulled back into a messy bun. She pulled a pad of paper out and removed the pencil that was resting behind her ear, "What can I get you?"

"I'll have tempura," Kyo replied without looking away from Tohru.

Tohru swallowed hard and quickly turned to the waitress. She slammed her menu shut and sputtered out, "I'll h-have the same thing."

_Why does Kyo-kun have to look at me like that?_ She thought, her cheeks beginning to burn. The waitress gave her an odd look before collecting their menus. She told them their food would be right out and then returned inside.

Kyo raised an eyebrow at her, "Are you okay?"

"Um…yes. I'm okay. It's just…when you look at me like that, Kyo-kun…it can be hard to think straight," She babbled. Halfway through her explanation, Tohru had to turn away because she realized she sounded ridiculous.

However, her explanation made him smirk. Kyo thought she was adorable when she got flustered, "What look?"

"I-I don't know," She replied, her cheeks reddening further, "I can't explain it. It's just this _look_."

He smiled again but shrugged. She had suffered enough, and he had more important matters to discuss. Kyo took a sip of water and cleared his throat. Tohru sat up, understanding that he was about to say something important.

"Tohru," He pronounced her name very clearly, "I just want to make sure you're okay with our plans for after high school."

Tohru cocked her head to one side. Why wouldn't she be? They planned to travel the world together right after graduation. As long as she was with him, she didn't care where they went. So, she nodded vigorously to answer his question.

He took a deep breath, "Good."

"Why'd you ask about that?" She questioned, her head still tilted to one side slightly.

"Because I wanted to talk about _after_ that…"

"Oh…" She straightened up. Tohru hadn't thought much about her future. Again, _he_ was her future. That was all that worried her.

"I was thinking that we should…" He trailed off, blushing somewhat and his eyes focused on the table below.

Tohru tentatively reached out to grab his hand, "We should what, Kyo-kun?"

"We should start planning a wedding." He finished, sucking in another deep breath.

Tohru's brown eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She gripped his hand tighter, only managing to mutter another, "Oh…"

Kyo's eyes began to look panicked. He thought that it was every girl's dream to get married and he had been expecting a very different reaction from Tohru. He opened his mouth to speak but she spoke first, finally finding her voice, "Where will our wedding be?"

She smiled at him and he exhaled a sigh of relief. Kyo gently brushed his thumb over her fingertips, "It's up to you."

Kyo knew he was crazy. They'd only officially been dating for almost a month. However, he knew this was it. He was so madly in love with her, that if he didn't spend the rest of his life with her, he'd go insane. She was his whole reason for existence and he wanted her to be happy.

And she wanted the same for him. If this is what he wanted, she would gladly plan a wedding. Tohru could already picture herself in a flowing kimono and Kyo waiting for her a distance away. She could see Uo, Hana and the entire zodiac at her wedding. The whole image made tiny tears form in the corner of her eyes.

Kyo spotted the tiny, glistening tears and started to become alarmed, "Tohru? What's wrong?"

Tohru gently wiped the tears away, "Nothing, Kyo-kun. I'm just really happy."

But from right outside the fence, this didn't look happy at all. Uo's hand curled into a fist and Hana's hands flew to her cheeks.

"That bastard made her cry," Uo growled, "Let's get in there, Hana."

The wave-girl nodded and followed Uo towards the restaurant. Maybe they were overreacting but they'd be damned before they'd let anyone get away with making Tohru cry. Uo fumed all the way there, "I knew orange-top was insensitive but man! How much of a jackass can you be?!"

The two girls barged into the restaurant and immediately spotted the woman that was Kyo and Tohru's waitress. Uo grabbed her arm, nearly causing her to drop a plate of something, "Hey, I need a favor."

The woman gave them a soured look, "Do I even know you?"

"You're serving one of our friends and we need to speak to her," Hana clarified more politely. Uo let go of the waitress, frowning slightly. The waitress straightened herself out before asking, "Which one is your friend?"

"The girl that's outside with the orange haired boy," Hana explained further.

"Oh? You mean that cute couple outside?" She asked, trying to make it as clear as possible. The two girls nodded and the waitress turned to head for the door, "I'll just tell her that there's someone here to see her."

The waitress calmly approached the table and turned to Tohru, "Excuse me miss, but there's someone here to see you. They're waiting inside."

Tohru turned to Kyo, confusion etched on her face. He looked just as confused. Finally, she rose up out of her chair, "I should go see who it is. It would be rude to make them wait."

Kyo started to get up, "Want me to come with you?"

Tohru shook her head, "No thanks, Kyo-kun. Besides, your dinner will get cold. Go ahead and start with out me."

She started to wobble off towards the door but turned and smiled at him, "I'll be right back."

He returned her smile before she disappeared through the doors.

Tohru immediately spotted her friends in a sea of customers, hostesses, and waitresses. She squeezed her way through the crowd and made her way to her friends.

"H-" but they didn't even let her get her greeting out. Uo grabbed one of her hands and began to drag her through the mass of people. Hana led the way, pushing people out of their way. Once they were outside, they didn't stop. Tohru continued to straggle along behind them, trying to force out something coherent. However, her friends weren't listening to her.

Finally, after a few blocks of being dragged along, she managed to shout, "Stop!"

Uo and Hana obeyed and turned around to face their friend. Tohru was gasping for breath, but she managed to ask, "W-what…what's going on?"

Uo sniffed audibly and closed her eyes, "We saw what that jerk did to you."

"K-Kyo-kun?"

"That's right," Uo replied, her voice laced with venom. Tohru started to become very confused. Kyo was the reason they'd dragged her away?

She felt Hana's hand on her shoulder, "Why were you crying, Tohru-chan?"

And suddenly it all clicked. Tohru figured out that they thought that Kyo was the one that made her cry, which was somewhat true. She quickly tried to explain, "I was happy! Kyo-kun did make me cry, but I was _happy_!"

The two of them gave her a quizzical look and Tohru's cheeks turned red. She looked down at her shoes, "He…He sort of asked me to marry him…"

"ALREADY?" Uo's voice exploded on the quiet streets. A few lights turned on in dark homes and Tohru grabbed her friend's arm, begging her to keep her voice down. Uo nodded and Tohru continued to explain, "It wasn't an official thing…like with a ring…but that's what we were talking about. I was crying because I was happy, Uo-chan…"

"I see…" Hana whispered, "We've made a terrible mistake."

"No!" Tohru interjected, "It's okay. Thank you for worrying about me. It's nice to know that you two will be there to look out for me."

Uo chuckled, "Yeah. Just as long as you're not mad."

Tohru shook her head, before turning around, "I should probably be getting back. Kyo-kun is probably getting worried."

"Sure," Uo replied, "Apologize to orange-top for us, okay?"

Tohru smiled and took off down the street.

And about a half an hour later, she still wasn't back at the restaurant. Tohru had no idea where she was going or how to get back. She had passed the same building five times now, and was about ready to give up.

_Oh…I ruined Kyo-kun's night…He probably thinks I ditched him…_

She was now carrying around her shoes, because she had tripped and fallen so many times that it wasn't even worth trying to wear them anymore. Her skirt was torn and dirty and her hair was beginning to fall out of the ponytail. Tohru let out a defeated sigh and stared down and the ground as she trudged along.

Suddenly, she felt something warm in front of her. Her body collided with it and she felt herself tumbling backwards. Her shoes flew out of her hands, but a pair of strong arms quickly wrapped around her back. She sensed something hauling her back up and she was pulled into a tight hug.

Tohru didn't even have to look up to see who it was, "Kyo-kun…."

Kyo rested his chin on top of her head; "I saw Uo and Hana on the way over. They explained what happened."

Tohru pulled away and looked up at him, "You're not mad, are you?"

"Nah," He smiled down at her and placed his hand on top of her head, "As long as I found you. I was starting to worry when you didn't come back, so I went to look for you. I ran into the two of them and they apologized. Then they told me where to find you and here we are."

Tohru's head fell back against his chest, "I'm really sorry, Kyo-kun."

"For what?"

"I ruined everything. You planned this whole thing out and I had to go and get lost. It's all ruined." She mumbled weakly into his chest.

When she heard him sigh, she stood back and looked up him again. Kyo was looking up at the stars above them, "I figured you'd see it that way. You didn't ruin everything and the night's not over yet."

Tohru followed his gaze and stared intently at the sky above them. Each star seemed to twinkle more brilliantly than the last, their brilliant, white light standing out perfectly against the pitch-black sky. Kyo tore his gaze away and focused on her, "Lets go for a walk."

Tohru nodded eagerly and took his outstretched hand. He led her down the sidewalk, because her eyes were fixated on the clear sky above them. It really was a beautiful night. She was so focused, that when Kyo spoke, it surprised her a bit.

"We're close to the house. Want to just head back?"

"No!" She said so quickly that she startled him, "I mean…I want to spend more time with you…"

"We can go up on the roof," He replied with a light laugh.

Tohru breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly fell into step with him. A few minutes later, they could see Shigure's house in the distance. Kyo pushed through the gates and headed for the ladder that was propped up against the side of the house. He helped Tohru get up to the top and then followed her. She settled down, making herself comfortable. Kyo sat down beside her, twisting to face her.

"So…did you have fun, Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked politely.

Kyo nodded, "I did. Except for the…incident."

A brief silence washed over the two of them. Kyo chewed on his bottom lip before finally asking, "Tohru…I was wondering…if you wanted to try something."

Tohru's expression became perplexed, which only caused him to become more embarrassed. She was so cute when she was confused. He cleared his throat, "Did you ever remember our first kiss?"

Tohru's eyes enlarged when she realized what he meant. The day wasn't exactly crystal clear to her because of certain complications. She had been unconscious and Kyo had kissed her. Tohru had tried so hard to remember but she couldn't. Kyo refused to kiss her until she did, because he thought it would be sad if she never remembered.

Tohru shook her head sadly and he nodded. She turned away, not wanting to see the disappointment on his face. Tohru squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember that day.

"All I remember is Kyo-kun running away," She shuttered but continued on, "Then Akito-san came out and a few moments later I fell. All I remember is falling and then blackness."

Kyo watched her close her eyes and he gripped her hand, "You don't have to think about it if you don't want to."

"I want to remember," She replied firmly, opening her eyes. Tohru squeezed her eyes shut again, her face scrunching up. Kyo guessed this was her way of concentrating.

"I remember… I remember being really cold. Then waking up to the sound of Kyo-kun's voice. He seemed really scared. I told him everything would be all right. Then the darkness and the cold came back…but a couple seconds later the cold was gone. I was warm…really warm."

She reopened her eyes and looked at him. Kyo was staring at her, at a loss for words. Tohru frowned slightly, "Do you think that could have been it?"

"Do you want to find out?" Kyo answered warily, the grip on her hand tightening.

Tohru blushed but nodded. Her brown eyes fluttered closed and Kyo could feel his heart jump into his throat. He cautiously leaned in and very lightly pressed his lips against hers. He stayed frozen like that and she remained unresponsive for a moment.

Panic began to sink into his chest. What if he had crossed the line? She seemed ready but she wasn't responding to his kiss. Tohru pulled away, but kept their lips barely touching. She whispered, "That was it, Kyo-kun…"

Kyo blushed when she leaned back into the kiss, this time much more animated. She gripped both his hands, her lips carefully molding against his. Kyo matched her movements, one hand slipping behind the small of her back. He pulled her close and after a moment drew back from the kiss. Tohru sucked in a deep breath and he did the same.

"That was…surprising," He replied, finding himself at a limited vocabulary.

"W-what was?" She replied, shaky. Tohru could feel her head starting to spin and dizziness begin to set in.

"That you kissed me like that. I always pictured it the other way around," He explained, beginning to regain his composure.

"Oh…did you want to do it like that then?" Tohru asked, her breathing still somewhat labored.

He chuckled and ruffled her hair affectionately. "That's alright. You look pretty tired. Why don't we head inside?"

She frowned but willingly followed him. Tohru didn't want the night to end already. She followed him down the ladder and into the house. He walked her to her room and once they reached the door, Kyo turned to her.

Kyo leaned down and gently captured her lips in another kiss. He pulled away after a moment, this one not being as intense as the other, "That's how I imagined it. Good night, Tohru."

He walked away, leaving a very flustered and dizzy Tohru standing in her doorway.

((End Flashback))

* * *

"And that's why it was better than our first dat-" Kyo stopped mid-sentence to see his daughter passed out on her bed. She had fallen asleep halfway through the story and he hadn't noticed.

Kyo rose from his chair and stretched his arms out. He tucked his daughter into her bed and kissed her goodnight. Then he turned out the lights and quietly exited her room. Kyo made his way down the hall, eager to see his wife after talking about their fond memories.

((End Chapter Two))

* * *

There's chapter two! Hope you liked it and please review!


	3. The Silent Treatment

Note: Thank you for the reviews. I'm still open for suggestions, so if you want to make one leave it in a review!

Replies: I won't be replying to every review, only certain ones. Please don't be upset if I didn't respond to yours, but these were reviews that I felt needed responding to. :D

_Kyonkichi-san_: Thank you very much for the story ideas. I think I'm going to use the first one in this chapter (sort of). It won't be like an actual fight, because I don't really see them doing that, but…well you'll see! XD As for the high school one, I'd have to think about what to do with that. There's so many options! XD

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket does not belong to me. Such a pity!

* * *

How I Met Your Mother  
_Chapter Three: The Silent Treatment_

Kyo padded quietly down the hallway, careful not to wake his slumbering family. He stopped outside the door at the end of the hall. His fingers slowly wrapped around the handle, and he gently slid the door open. He didn't want to wake up Tohru. The door had opened just enough for him to slip through and into the room. The area was dimly lit by bits of moonlight that came pouring through the cracks in the blinds. With that little bit of light, he could make out a form sitting on their bed.

"Tohru…" He sighed, rubbing his temples; "I thought you'd be asleep by now."

Tohru rubbed her eyes and tried to fight off any oncoming sleepiness. "I wanted to wait for you, Kyo-kun. I always do."

Kyo couldn't make out her face in the dark, but he would have bet that she looked tired. Tohru would always wait up for him, whether he was late from the dojo or putting Kyoko to bed. Although it was nice, sometimes he wished she would fall asleep. She always seemed so much more tired when she did this.

"Is Kyoko-chan asleep?" Tohru half yawned.

Kyo nodded, fumbling to get his t-shirt and pants off. He snatched up a pair of long, cotton pants from off the floor and pulled them on. He didn't bother putting a shirt on and crawled onto the bed.

He sat right beside her, getting a good look at her face. Sure enough, tiny lines had started to form under her half-closed lids. He gently cupped her face in his hands, "Why do you do this to yourself?"

Tohru closed her eyes, soaking in the warmth of his hands, "Because I want to."

She heard him let out another sigh and she opened her eyes. Tohru's fingertips brushed across the back of his hand, "Should I not wait up for you anymore?"

Kyo was quiet for a moment, debating what he really wanted. When he finally decided, he leaned in and kissed her forehead, "As much as I hate seeing you tired, I'd rather have you wait for me."

He pulled back and saw that she was smiling at him. Kyo gulped and felt his cheeks tinge. Even after all these years, her smile still made him blush. His embarrassment was quickly replaced by a smirk. Tohru didn't seem to notice his sudden grin, so when his arms wrapped around her lower back and lifted her off the bed, she let out a yelp. With one swift move, Tohru felt her back on the mattress and her head hit the pillows. Her body was quickly pulled back into his arms.

"Kyo-kun!" She protested quietly, her face completely red.

He only chuckled in reply and gently brushed her bangs back. Tohru forgot what she was going to say next and could only let out a content sigh. After a moment, she was able to speak, "That wasn't very fair."

"What wasn't?"

"You picking me up like that. It surprised me." She explained, one of her palms resting on his bare chest. He smirked again, leaning in and burying his face in her hair.

"Sorry," He muttered against the top of her head. "I couldn't resist. It's not my fault you're so tiny, Tohru."

"I'm not tiny," She complained quietly, but shivered when she felt his lips pressing against the top of her head. His lips slowly traveled from the top of her head to her ear, then down her jaw line.

"W-well…h-how was work?" She stuttered out, his kisses leaving a tingly feeling on her chin.

Kyo lifted his head up, snickering at her futile attempts to distract him. He decided to play along. He closed his eyes and answered, "Not bad. I had a few unexpected visitors."

Tohru's eyes widened and she scooted closer to him, "Who?"

Kyo opened one eye and smiled at her, "Kazuma stopped by. So did Hatsuharu."

He watched her face light up at the mention of his guests. Tohru hadn't seen either of them in quite awhile. In fact, she hadn't seen a lot of the Sohma family in awhile. The last family member she had talked to had been Yuki.

"What did they say?" She asked, her eyes locking with his.

"Not much. Kazuma just wanted to see if I was doing all right. Haru wanted to see what my students were like…and if I was teaching them everything I could." Kyo explained and then a small smile formed on his lips. "He said he might ask Rin to marry him soon."

"He's going to ask Isuzu-san?!" Tohru let out an excited gasp. She had always wondered when and if the two of them would get married. She didn't understand why they waited so long but was really happy for them anyway.

"How about you? What'd you do today?" Kyo asked casually, his fingers trailing down her side and resting on her lower hip. His cheeks tinged when he realized she was only wearing one of his old button-up shirts.

Tohru tried to ignore the tingly feeling traveling up her spine. It quickly disappeared when she remembered something that had happened that day, "Yuki-kun called today."

Kyo closed his eyes, trying to project some type of happiness, but he failed to do so. Tohru smiled awkwardly at his expression. Over the years, Yuki and Kyo's relationship had become better. They didn't seem to hate each other anymore and didn't fight everytime they met. However, they still didn't get along as well as they could. Tohru expected it would still take some more time for them to become true friends.

She continued talking, her voice falling barely above a whisper, "He said he and Machi have finally settled into their new house…and that he wants us to come visit on Friday."

The minute the words left her mouth, his eyes opened. He pulled her a bit closer to him and his mouth curved into a slight frown. "Friday?"

"That's right. I was thinking that Kyoko-chan and I would go visit their new house. What do you think?" She asked, her fingertips resting on his chest.

"I think that that I'm taking Friday off."

Tohru's eyes widened and she leaned towards him, "You don't have to do that! We'll be fi-"

He gently pressed one of his fingers against her lips, silencing her protests. Kyo leaned back a bit, "Don't worry about it. I'm sure my students won't complain too much about getting a day off. Besides, do you even know where his new place is?"

"Um…"

"Exactly." Kyo replied firmly, "And do you remember the time I let you go to some place by yourself?"

"Well…" Tohru trailed off, trying to remember the day that Kyo was talking about. She closed her eyes and tried to picture it in her head…

* * *

((Flashback))

"You're staying after?" Tohru asked when she met Kyo at the door. The last bell for school had just rung, and Tohru was eager to get home. She had met Kyo, as usual, outside of his last class. That's when he told her he needed to stay after school to do some make-up work.

"Are you okay? I can stay after tomorrow if you really want me to come home with you?" Kyo asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Tohru shook her head, even though she really wasn't okay. Yuki had a student council meeting that day. That meant that she would be alone with Shigure, not that she didn't enjoy spending time with him. Tohru waved goodbye to Kyo and then turned to head towards the exit. On her way home, she racked her brain, trying to think of something she could do that afternoon.

Normally, she'd spend it watching Kyo train and then doing her chores. Sometimes he even offered to help her with the chores. Those were always her favorite times because she got to spend more time with Kyo. Tohru let imagination wander, thinking about how they had spent yesterday together.

They hadn't been dating very long now, it would be two months in a couple weeks, but it felt like much longer to her. It felt like they had been together for over a year. Just the thought of it made her heart pound. Tohru let her mind continue to wander, imagining Kyo's sweet smile and his gentle laugh. She felt her eyes drift closed, his face appearing in her head.

She became so lost in her wonderful thoughts, that she didn't notice her feet beginning to wander off the path. Her imagination was so vivid and inviting, that she didn't see that she was completely off course. Her feet continued to move her farther and farther from the path home, but she never detected it.

When the illusions finally stopped, she opened her eyes and let out a tiny gasp. Tohru looked around her: up, to the sides and down at her feet. There was no familiar dirt path beneath her. Instead of a narrow trail surrounded by a few tall trees, she was surrounded by _nothing but_ trees. Tohru guessed that she was in the middle of the woods.

_Guess that's what I get for daydreaming…_She thought with a sigh. Now she was completely and utterly lost, with nobody to help her. _Great…I know! I'll just retrace my steps. That is…if I knew which direction I came from! Why did I close my eyes! Okay…okay…just stay calm. I'll just turn around and go straight. If I do that, I'll have to get out of these woods eventually._

Tohru followed her plan and turned on her heel. She kept going…and going…and going until she was even more lost then when she began. She began to feel her energy draining and thought of giving up. However, when she looked up, she saw the trees cleared in the distance. Tohru took a deep breath, plowed forward and when she reached the clearing she saw a car whiz by.

Her head snapped to the right and she saw a bunch of tall buildings lining the street. She turned around and saw more cars zooming by. The forest had led her right into the city. Now all she had to do was find someplace familiar so she could get home from there. Tohru walked down the sidewalk, ignoring the pounding of her heart.

After a few minutes of walking, she hadn't spotted any familiar buildings. She realized that this town wasn't as familiar to her as she thought. _I was at least hoping I could find where I work or Uo's apartment building. I must be in another part of town. _

Tohru really regretted not paying attention to where she was going. A small voice in her head chided her saying, 'You really should pay attention more.' Tohru recognized the voice as Kyo's, and she let out a tiny sigh. He was right; she did need to pay attention more.

But it was too late to be moping around. She had to get home before Kyo or Yuki did. If she didn't, she had a feeling there would be Sohma family search parties out looking for her. The last thing she wanted was for everyone to worry over her. She could find her way home. She _had_ to.

_Maybe if I ask someone…_

Tohru looked around, trying to find someone that seemed approachable. Her eyes fell on a boy who looked around her age. He was a bit taller then her. His reddish-brown hair ended near the nape of his neck and his long bangs fell just above his eyes, which were a deep almond shade. Tohru predicted that all the girls in her school would think this kid was good-looking.

She tentatively approached the boy and cleared her throat when she was behind him, "Um…excuse me?"

He wheeled around, his brown eyes intense. He calmed down when he saw that it was only a girl, "What?"

"I um…I w-was-"

"You're that orange-tops girlfriend aren't you?" The boy interjected, pointing a finger at her.

Tohru felt her body go rigid. This kid knew who she was! She could only manage a slight nod and a tiny, "Y-yes."

The boy scowled and turned away. Tohru wondered if she had done something to offend him but before she could figure it out, he spoke. "I can't stand that kid."

"W-what?" Tohru stammered. She never remembered Kyo mentioning someone like this before. Tohru took another step towards the kid, "You don't like Kyo-kun?"

The boy shrugged and then let his shoulder slump, "Are you hard of hearing? Yeah. I can't. He's a good for nothing bastard…just like his cousin."

Tohru's head was spinning and she could feel herself beginning to teeter. "You don't like Yuki-kun either?"

The boy glared at her and she shuttered. His eyes narrowed even further, "No. I. Don't. Jeez…so what did you want anyway, girl?"

"I-It's Tohru." She corrected politely and then continued quietly, "and I was wondering if you could tell me how to get back to the Sohma estate, or Arisa Uotani's apartment. But I can see that you probably can't, so I won't bother you anymore…"

The boy let out a defeated sigh, "You weren't bothering me. I guess I can show you the way. It's at the end of that path through the woods right?"

Tohru nodded enthusiastically and thanked him repeatedly. The boy shook his head and started to lead the way. Before they were out of the city, Tohru learned that his name was Takashi and that he was a year younger then her. She was relieved when the huge gray buildings were behind them and she saw that familiar forest in the distance.

Tohru decided to chance a question that had been on her mind the whole way there. She knew if she didn't ask now, then she would run out of time. "Why do you hate Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun?"

Takashi looked taken aback by her question but he answered anyway, "It's a long story."

"Please tell me?" She pleaded, "You can walk with me back to the Sohma's house. I'm a really curious…"

She heard him let out a sigh and he started with the story, "Fine. Well, I guess I'll tell you about the prince first and I'll keep it short and sweet. I had a crush on this girl and she was in love with Yuki. The End." He said sarcastically.

Tohru made a face and looked up at him, "That's it?"

"Yeah. I told you I dislike Yuki but I _can't stand_ Kyo." He growled out the last part and Tohru shivered.

He continued the story, this time going into more detail, "Okay…well after I got over that girl…I met Miyana."

Tohru watched his expression turn from enraged to pained. He saw that she was watching and he quickly dipped his head down so his bangs covered his eyes. "She's in your class. Short brown hair. Really friendly."

Tohru's eyes widened when she realized whom he was talking about. The day was very clear in her mind. It had been Valentines Day, two years ago, and some girl had tried to give Kyo a Valentines Day gift. Tohru noticed the way the girl smiled at Kyo and thought that it was sweet. At the time, she wasn't in love with Kyo so she didn't think much of it. However, Kyo refused the girls present and promptly ran out of the room when he realized that it was Valentines Day and that he should have been hiding from Kagura.

She was torn from her thoughts by Takashi's voice, "I met her one day during lunch. She was sitting all alone and so I decided to keep her company while she waited for her friends. We got to talking and we got pretty close. Unfortunately I started to fall for her."

He buried his face into one of his hands, trying to cover up his shame. Tohru looked away and focused on the road ahead of them, "I planned to ask her out, thinking that there was no way she could say no. When I asked, she told me she was in love with someone else. I couldn't believe it! How could this have happened to me two times in a row?! I was pissed and I still am."

Tohru didn't even have to guess who it was that Miyana was in love with. She felt somewhat sorry for Takashi, but she didn't think that he should be taking it out on Kyo. After all, it wasn't Kyo's fault. Takashi ran a hand through his auburn hair and turned to her, "That's why I hate him. The first thing was just harmless crush, no strings attached. But the second time…I really liked her."

She fidgeted uncomfortably beside him. This was the last kind of conversation she wanted to be having, so she was relieved when the Sohma household came into view. Tohru wanted to throw her bag into the air and run towards the gates, but she managed to stay reserved and walked calmly towards her home. She was a little surprised that Takashi continued to follow her all the way to the gates.

Takashi didn't seem to notice her nervousness. He was too busy formulating a newfound plan in his head. _This girl's elevator doesn't seem to go all the way to the top floor. I wonder…Oh man! I can't wait until I see that bastard!_

Tohru opened up the gate and shifted uncomfortably when she heard him snicker. She bowed her head, trying to figure out what could be so funny. While she was debating on whether it was something she said or did, a loud voice tore her from her thoughts.

"That's it! I'm going out to look for her!"

Tohru felt a rush of air and something collide with her. She looked up and latched onto the thing, "Kyo-kun!"

Kyo looked down and, when he saw who it was, he pulled her into a bear hug. Tohru could hear him muttering something incoherent to himself. She didn't bother to try and figure out what it was though. She was just happy to be home. She buried her face into his shirt, hugging him back.

After a few seconds, Tohru heard a tiny grunt and then she felt Kyo pull away from her. She glanced over to the source of the noise. It had been Takashi, who was now standing a few feet away from them with his arms crossed over his chest. Tohru blushed and walked over to him, "I'm so sorry. Kyo-kun, this is Takashi-kun. He helped me find my way back."

"You got lost?" Kyo sighed, rubbing his temples. "How the hell did you get lost?"

"It's a long story but I was walking home an-"

"Wait…come to think of it, the idea doesn't sound so strange after all." Kyo teased, and she pouted in response.

He then turned to Takashi, "Well, thanks for bringing her home."

Kyo was taken aback when Takashi simply smirked at him. His smirk widened, when he inched closer to Tohru and threw his arm around her shoulder. He looked up at Kyo from underneath his long bangs, "No problem. Glad to do it. In fact, it gave me a chance to make a new friend. We got to know each other really well…"

Tohru smiled at him, blatantly unaware of this game that Takashi was cooking up. Takashi was also quite pleased with Kyo's reaction to his little display. He watched with pleasure as the orange haired boy's eyebrow twitched and his eyes narrowed.

Kyo grabbed Tohru's arm and led her into the house. Tohru was a bit startled by his reaction and turned to give Takashi a quick wave. He returned her wave with a smile and sauntered off back through the gates.

_That worked out better then expected…if orange-top wants to mess with my love life, then I'll mess with his…_

Tohru winced, as the door was slammed shut behind her. She barely had time to comprehend what had just happened, before Kyo was marching up the steps. She scrambled after him, stopping at the foot of the stairs. "K-Kyo-kun, where are you going?"

"Roof," He muttered just loud enough for her to hear him.

Tohru grabbed the railing and pulled herself up after him. He was mad, that much she could tell, but she didn't understand why. She made her way down the hall and towards one of the back windows. There, she followed the usual procedure of getting up onto the rooftop. Tohru sat at the edge for a moment and watched Kyo. He was sprawled out, staring up at the sky. He didn't even seem to notice that she had come up.

"Kyo-kun?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, one of his brows furrowed. She let out a tiny gulp and he closed his eyes, "I'm not mad at you, so don't worry."

"But you're _still_ mad. Tell me what's wrong." She pleaded, tugging lightly on his sleeve.

He rolled over onto his side, so he was facing her, "It's nothing. You can go back downstairs."

Tohru didn't budge. She wasn't going anywhere until he explained his mood. Kyo stared at her, waiting for her to get up and leave. When she didn't he let out a defeated sigh. "I'd feel better if you stayed away from _that guy_."

"Who? You mean Takashi-kun?" Tohru tilted her head to one side.

She watched his teeth clamp together when she said 'Takashi-kun'. His teeth grinded together for a moment before he spoke, "Yeah. That's the one."

"But why?" She asked, her head still cocked to the side.

"You didn't see the way he was hanging all over you?" Kyo asked skeptically, raising one of his brows.

Tohru shook her head, her cheeks turning slightly pink. Kyo lowered his eyes and shook his own head, "Figures. You probably wouldn't notice something like that. Anyway, please just stay away from him. I don't like the way he looked at you."

"O-okay…" Tohru whispered. She really didn't understand what the problem was. Takashi was just being friendly with her. Kyo-kun didn't need to get mad. "Will you come downstairs now?"

"Sure," He smiled at her and followed her back down the ladder.

((The Next Day))

"Hey, Tohru…"

Tohru looked up, accidentally slamming her locker closed in surprise. The voice came from right beside her and was velvety smooth. She avoided his gaze, staring at her shoes instead, "H-hi, Takashi-kun…"

"So-"

"I'm sorry! I have to go!" She blurted out and scurried off in the opposite direction. Tohru didn't want Kyo to show up and get mad at her. It would be better to avoid Takashi.

_The first thing was just harmless crush, no strings attached. But the second time…I really liked her._ His voice rang in the back of her mind, and her feet slowly came to a stop. _That's right…he was hurt by his first two crushes. If he really does like me, I don't want to hurt his feelings. _Tohru turned around and stared at the boy for a moment.

_I'll just make sure Kyo-kun doesn't see us!_ She decided with a determined smile.

Takashi was still waiting by her locker, a confused expression plastered on his face. He had wanted to talk to Tohru after the way yesterday had gone. He had begun to feel guilty the minute he left. He hoped that Kyo hadn't been too hard on her but, at the same time, revenge had felt really good. He wasn't sure whether he should apologize or keep up his little charade.

"Takashi-kun…?" Her gentle voice tore him from his thoughts.

He looked up and smiled awkwardly, "There you are. Was something wrong?"

"Well…" She debated on what she should say and finally decided on just saying, "No. Everything's fine. You just scared me was all."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that," He replied with a sincere smile.

"Where's your boyfriend?" The word tasted like poison in his mouth, so he spat it out. Just the thought of that orange haired bastard made his revenge plan sound so much sweeter.

"He'll probably be here in a minute." Tohru answered defensively. She felt sorry for Takashi, but she wasn't about to let him talk about Kyo that way.

The look in her eyes caused him to glare back. His mind was made up. He was _really_ going to mess with Kyo's head now. _Just wait till' he gets here._

Takashi leaned forward, resting on the lockers and pinning her against the wall. Tohru looked up, surprised by his casualness. He smirked down at her and she forced a smile back. _Don't hurt his feelings! _Her brain screamed at her. She gulped.

"Um…?"

"You said we have a minute…"

"But…I don't…I don't want this." She stuttered awkwardly. "We just met…how can you…?"

Takashi watched her cheeks turn an awkward shade of red and he pulled away. He could feel his own face burning up and pulled back on instinct. _What the hell?_

"S-sorry!" He blurted out, surprising himself. Tohru stared up at him, confused. His face seemed like it was torn between embarrassed and serious. He finally spoke, his tone becoming solemn, "I guess I crossed the line there."

Tohru just continued to look perplexed. Something in her head had been telling her that he was just teasing her before. But, his expression coupled with this new tone was convincing her otherwise. He seemed completely honest to her.

"It's okay," She smiled slightly, "I know how you feel…but I don't want to hurt your feelings."

"What?" His brows slanted down and his cheeks burned even brighter from her smile. Could she have seen through his façade? Or was his plan falling apart at the seams? _I…she's cute but…NO!_

"You won't. It's okay. I have to go. Sorry about before." He mumbled and glanced at her with gentle eyes. Tohru recognized the look to be similar to the one Kyo gave her. She frowned as Takashi turned to walk away.

Just as he was about to take a step, a fist grabbed his sleeve and forced him into the wall. Takashi let out a yelp, squeezing his eyes shut. Tohru gasped and rushed over, grabbing the attackers sleeve, "Kyo-kun! What are you doing?!"

"I saw the whole thing Tohru. I'll make sure he doesn't bother you anymore," Kyo growled and applied more pressure to Takashi ensnared arm.

"B-but…he didn't do anything! Honest!" She protested, tugging lightly on Kyo's sleeve.

"You might think it's nothing, but he obviously doesn't know that he's crossing the line." Kyo snarled. He heard Tohru sniffle and quickly looked towards her. Her fingers were hanging limply onto his sleeve and her head was bowed. Kyo thought that she looked like she was going to burst into tears. He released his hold on Takashi and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tohru?"

She didn't answer him. Instead, she darted off down the hall and disappeared into a crowd of students. Kyo frowned and cursed to himself. The last thing in the world that he wanted was for her to be upset. He heard a shrill whistle from behind him and turned around.

"What?" He spat out at Takashi, who was rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Guess I should explain…" Takashi muttered, feeling his guilt increase tenfold. He wanted orange top to get upset, not Tohru. In fact, he had grown to like the bubbly girl somewhat, even if she was a bit annoying. "I apologized for what I did. It was out of line."

"I must've missed that…"

"Well I did. You can ask her if you want. That is, if she's still speaking to you." Takashi added smugly. Kyo gave him a death glare before walking away and towards his next class.

Kyo really began to worry on his way home from school. She hadn't stopped to wait for him like she usually did. She didn't pass her little notes in class like she usually did. She didn't walk home from school with him like she usually did. Tohru was really upset.

As he passed through the gates, he could feel Yuki's stern gaze on him. The silver haired boy was standing on the porch, arms folded across his chest, "What did you do this time?"

Kyo sighed and slumped down onto the steps. His hands fell into his hands, "I don't even know. I saw this guy getting too close to her and I stepped in. Then she broke down and hasn't talked to me since. I've never seen her angry…"

"Maybe you should talk to her," Yuki suggested, heading for the door. "Find out what you did."

"Yeah…"

"She's in the kitchen." Yuki added curtly, before closing the door.

Kyo stood up and followed Yuki into the house. He headed straight to the kitchen, and sure enough, she was standing by the counter making rice balls. He cleared his throat and she glanced back. Tohru quickly turned around and when she saw who it was, she went back to making rice balls.

He frowned but approached her. He stood beside her, waiting for her to say something. But she didn't. Tohru just kept folding her rice and kept her eyes focused on her cooking. Kyo leaned down, seeing if she would look at him. Finally he spoke, "Can I help you?"

She simply shook her head, her eyes beginning to water again. She tossed her unfinished rice ball on the counter and headed for the door. Kyo grabbed her by the shoulders and said, "Let's go on the roof."

Before she could protest, he pushed her out the door. He forced her up the ladder and followed her up. She sat down, staring up at the sky and tried to keep herself from crying again.

Kyo sat down beside her, "Why are you avoiding me?"

"Y-you don't know why?" Tohru questioned, looking at him for the first time all afternoon. She thought he looked like a wreck and really stressed. But she didn't know how else to react. She could yell at him for what he did, but that just wasn't like her. So, she avoided him and hoped that the situation would cool down later.

"Explain." He said, his voice was strained and verged on begging.

"Well…I-It's for what you did this afternoon. You jumped right in without letting me explain. He _apologized_, Kyo-kun. I know he might like me, I'm still not sure, but I'm okay with it. I don't want to hurt him, but what else can I do? I'm already in love with someone else."

Kyo smiled at the last part. He thought about placing his hand over hers, but he wasn't sure if she would allow it. Instead, he asked, "So…you're mad because I jumped in without letting you talk to me?"

"Yes…and you beat up a friend of mind. I don't know…it made it seem like you don't…trust me." She finished quietly, tracing the tiles of the roof with her index finger.

Kyo was taken aback by her statement, "I do…it's _him_ I don't trust. You promised you wouldn't talk to him." He reminded pointedly.

Tohru flinched, "I know. I didn't want to hurt his feelings. If he wants to talk to me, I can't ignore him, Kyo-kun."

Kyo scowled. Typical Tohru, but that was one of the things he loved about her. She was incapable of being cruel to anyone. He let out a defeated sigh and turned to her, "Fine. I'm not happy abou it, but if that guy ever does anything to you, he's getting a death note."

She laughed lightly and smiled at him. Kyo smiled back, "So does this mean I'm forgiven?"

Tohru looked thoughtful for a moment, placing her index finger on her chin. After a moment she spoke, "No."

"WHAT?" Kyo faltered and fell onto his side. "Why the hell not?!"

"I'll forgive you when you apologize to Takashi-kun. I'll admit you have a right to be jealous, but-"

"Fine. I'll go do it. Just please stop with the silent treatment. You have no idea how horrible this is." He muttered and made his way to the ladder.

Tohru watched him descend to the ground. She smiled to herself. It was hard to imagine that a year ago, getting Kyo to do something like that would have been near impossible. He had really grown over the past year and she was proud of him. It was too bad that it took a fight for that to really stand out to her, but now that she saw it, she couldn't help but smile.

((End Flashback))

* * *

"…But I apologized to that jerk. It's too bad he ended up moving. I wouldn't have had to say anything if I knew he was leaving." Kyo finished, pulling his wife closer to him.

Tohru pouted, "He didn't move for another month. Could you have taken silent treatment for a month?"

"Could you?" Kyo retorted, he arm curling around her waist.

"Probably not," She admitted with a yawn.

Kyo stroked her hair with his free hand, "You're tired. You can go to sleep."

She protested quietly, but after a few minutes she drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Kyo rolled over onto his side. He tried to block out the story he had just told and join his wife in dream land.

((End Chapter Three))

* * *

Wow! That was really long! I honestly don't really like how it turned out, but I already know what I want to do for the next chapter, so I was probably just rushing to get _something_ written. Sorry it took so long and I'll try to update ASAP.


	4. Extremely Cinderella

Note: YAY! Chapter four! This one's going to be slightly different from the rest of the chapters for a couple of reasons. One, the story will be told by Kyoko-chan. Two, the story will be a fantasy story (a fairy-tale-ish style :D). And the third reason is that this story might be done in two or three chapters, instead of one. Also, sorry it took so long to update! Even though school is out, I've been working everyday and with my brothers at home, it's been hard to get on the computer and finish. I'll be getting a laptop on Sunday so I should be able to update a lot faster then.

Replies: I won't be replying to every review, only certain ones. Please don't be upset if I didn't respond to yours, but these were reviews that I felt needed responding to.

_PinkLikeCool:_ I didn't mean to have Kyo scare you, and I definitely didn't mean to make him sound abusive. I can see him being possessive (just a bit). I wanted it to seem like he really wanted to make up with her and find out why she was mad. I'm glad you think it's cute, and I hope you keep reading!

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is not mine. :(

* * *

How I Met Your Mother  
_Chapter Four: Extremely Cinderella_

"WAKE UP, MOMMY!" An energetic, little voice woke Tohru from her sweet dreams. Her eyes shot open. She sat up, gasping for breath. Kyoko was sitting on the edge of their bed, a smile plastered on her tiny face.

"Oh…Kyoko-chan you scared me!" She breathed. Tohru looked to her right and saw her husband had one eye open. He was glaring at the ceiling, obviously unhappy about being woken up. After a moment, Kyo sat up, his glare focusing on their daughter, "You better have a good reason for waking us up this early."

"I do!" The little girl beamed, scooting closer to her parents. She crawled into her father's lap and his face softened. He could never stay angry with her for long. She looked up at her parents, her eyes dancing with excitement, "You know how you've been telling me those stories? Well I came up with one I want to tell you! It's really good, I promise!"

"Really?" Tohru surmised. She was intrigued at what her daughter could have come up with. She guessed it would be something completely untrue and made up. Her daughter had an overactive imagination, but it was always fun to see what she could invent.

"Would you like to tell it to us?" Kyo asked, gently patting his daughter's head.

She beamed and nodded eagerly. Kyoko cleared her throat and before beginning she requested, "Promise you'll listen?"

Both her parents nodded. Kyoko took a deep breath and began her story…

* * *

((Kyoko's Story))

Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Tohru Honda. She was always cheerful and kind, despite being poor. She lived in a small house outside of town. She had made a living by cleaning up a mansion of couple that lived nearby. Tohru had to work there as much as possible to support herself because she no longer had her parents to help her. Her father had died, from an unknown disease, when she was very young and her mother was killed a year ago in an accident.

She was sixteen and lived on her own. Her friends, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima, always told her that she didn't need to work. Uo was always suggesting that she get married and let her husband bring home the money. She could have married any man of her choosing and lived comfortably because Tohru was a cute girl. She had dark brown hair that flowed past her shoulders, and she had the biggest brown eyes. Tohru argued that she didn't think she was exceptionally pretty and that she wanted to get married when she fell in love. She had yet to fall in love. Uo would always tell her that she was crazy and laugh it off.

One morning, Tohru went to work, as usual. Just as she was about to knock on the door, it opened. The woman who lived there poked her head out. Tohru smiled at her and chirped, "Good morning!"

The woman frowned and ushered her inside. She closed the door behind her and solemnly turned to the younger girl, "We need to talk, dear…"

"About what?" Tohru asked, confused and curious.

"Well…I suppose it would be best if I just said it, so here it goes: Tohru, you've been so good to us and we feel terrible, but my husband and I have decided to buy a new house."

Tohru just stared at her, obviously not understanding how this concerned her. She could just go clean their new house, right?

The women just gave her a sympathetic smile, "This means you're out of a job, dear. I feel terrible…what with your situation and all…but we really need to get out of here. I'm afraid it'll be too far for you to commute to. I'm really sorry…"

Realization slowly etched its way onto Tohru's face. It took her a few moments to understand what the woman meant. Tohru may have been incredibly selfless but she was also very naïve and innocent. She shook off her shock and smiled at the woman, "T-that's alright. It's not your fault. I'll find someplace else to work."

The woman grimaced as Tohru bowed goodbye and scurried out the door. She could barely feel her feet pounding against the pavement. Her entire body felt numb as she racked her brain, trying to figure out what to do. _Mom would know what to do…_

Her feet slowed to a stop as she approached her tiny shack. Tohru opened the door and walked inside, plopping down on the first chair she saw. She decided that she just needed to think really hard and something would come to her. Just as she was about to get started, a small rap on the door startled her.

Tohru pulled herself up out of the chair and opened the door a crack. One eye peered up at whoever was knocking on her door, and she let out a surprised yelp, "Oh. Hi Uo!"

"Cut it out, Tohru. What happened?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Tohru asked, opening the door all the way. Uo stood in her doorway with her hands on her hips, "Well…let's see: you're supposed to be working right now and you never miss a day of work. You ran into your house like you were possessed. You look like a wre-"

"I l-lost my job." Tohru stuttered, her head bowing. Uo's face softened and she frowned, feeling sorry for ranting like that. She was surprised when Tohru lifted her head up and smiled, "But it's okay! I'll think of something."

"Yeah…" Uo said, trying to think of something that could help her friend out. "Oh, sorry about all that ranting before. I guess I got a little carried away, but you worry me you know?"

"I know." Tohru smiled bashfully. She was lucky to have such a good friend. "Would you like to come inside?"

Uo nodded and followed her friend inside the tiny house. They both sat down on Tohru's old, beaten up couch and tried to think of a solution to her problem. Finally, after about twenty minutes of silence, Uo spoke.

"The Sohma's!"

"Huh?" Tohru muttered, somewhat startled by her friend's sudden exclamation.

"You can go work on the Sohma estate." Uo explained, turning to Tohru.

Tohru's eyes widened. The Sohma family was the richest family in the area. They were the closest thing to royalty that you could get to out here. Not only were they rich and famous, Tohru heard that they were all incredibly good-looking. All those things combined made Tohru a little apprehensive of Uo's plan, "I…I don't know about that, Uo-chan."

Uo raised an eyebrow at her friend, "Why not? The pay is probably better then what you were getting from those other people. You don't think you'll get the job?"

"Maybe. It's just that…they're all…perfect." Tohru confessed quietly, twiddling her thumbs. The idea of being surrounded by perfection caused a huge lump to form in her throat. "I mean…they're like kings, queens, princes, princesses…how can someone like me go work there?"

Uo blinked and shook her head in disbelief, "Um…is Tohru still in there? I can't believe what I'm hearing! You never give up at _anything, _and you always at least _try_! We're going up there right now!"

"O-okay." Tohru agreed shakily and yelped when Uo yanked her off the couch. Tohru stumbled to regain her footing and shouted, "W-wait! Uo-chan I can't go up there like this!"

"Why the hell not?" Uo turned around and grimaced when she saw what Tohru was talking about. Tohru was dressed in a frumpy, floor length, brown dress that looked more like a rag then anything else. Her hair had been pulled back into a sloppy ponytail. A dark blue handkerchief was wrapped around her head, keeping her hair out of her eyes.

"I guess you're right." Uo agreed, letting go of her friend. "Come on. Let's go get you ready for your interview."

--

((At The Sohma Estate))

"I still don't know about this Uo…" Tohru mumbled, holding up the hem of her ruffled, baby blue colored dress. She stared at her reflection in a nearby window and sighed. The dress had belonged to her mother and fit her quite well. Her once messy brown hair, now hung perfectly straight and smooth. "Are you sure I look okay?"

"Of course. I picked it out didn't I?" Uo grinned and gave her friend a gentle shove through the large double doors, "Now knock em' dead!"

Tohru staggered as she struggled not to fall over. She heard the large doors slam shut behind her and Uo was gone. Tohru took a deep breath and took in her surroundings. She was in a lobby of some sort. A few feet from her was a grand set of wooden stairs, covered with a red carpet. On both sides of the stairs was a door. She noticed that the floor was covered with some kind of expensive tile and the walls matched the color of the carpet on the stairs. All in all, it was very western and expensive looking.

_I don't even know where to go…_She frowned and called out, "Um…Hello?"

"Hello?" A bright, upbeat voice called from behind the door on the right, "Who's there?"

"Oh…um I'm looking for work and I wa-" Tohru was cut off by the sound of the door opening. She saw an older man come out and she guessed he was in his twenties. He was dressed in an expensive looking robe and wore a pair of glasses. His black hair was short in the back, and his bangs hung over and nearly covered his brown eyes.

"Nice to meet you," He beamed, smiling brightly at her.

Tohru smiled back, still a bit uneasy. This man was incredibly good-looking. _I guess the rumors are true…but maybe he's not a member of the Sohma family._

"My name's Shigure Sohma. Can I help you with something?" He asked, still smiling at her. Tohru thought there was something almost devious about his smile, but she decided to ignore it.

_Okay…So I was wrong. He's a member of the family. Deep breath…_

"Um…yes. I was wondering if I could have a job here? Please? I really need one…" Tohru knew she sounded pathetic, but she didn't know what else to do.

Shigure's smile faded and he looked thoughtful for a moment. He found it quite strange that this girl thought she could just show up, beg, and then get a job. He stared at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked like she was going to pass out. Shigure couldn't bring himself to turn her away. She was pretty cute and she had to be good at _something_.

"I suppose I can find something for you to do around here. We just fired out last chef. Can you cook?"

"Yes! And I can clean too! Does this mean you'll hire me?"

"Shigure? What are you up to now?" A smooth voice asked. Tohru and Shigure turned to the other door in the room and saw a boy standing in the doorway. He appeared to be around Tohru's age, had messy silver hair, and deep purple eyes. Like Shigure, he was very good looking.

Tohru guessed that this had to be the infamous Yuki Sohma. She often heard some of the neighborhood girls talking about him and how good looking he was. Tohru had to admit, they were right. Yuki looked like a real prince, just like they had said.

"Yuki! Come meet our new maid…um what was your name again?" Shigure whispered to Tohru.

"Tohru Honda." She smiled shyly at the prince as he walked up to them.

Yuki took her hand, causing her cheeks to turn pink and he smiled at her, "Nice to meet you, Honda-san."

_So polite…_Tohru's cheeks burned even brighter. She was surprised at how formal he was being towards his _maid_. She had expected them to act …well, more like the rich people she'd read about in stories. She thought that they would only be into their good looks and act…perfect. She couldn't find the words to describe it accurately, so she decided that "perfect" would do just fine.

"Y-you too…" She stuttered back.

"Can I show you around?" Yuki asked.

"S-sure," Was all she could manage to say.

"And I guess I'll have to show you your room while I'm at it." Yuki surmised.

That caught Tohru off guard and she looked up at him, confused. "My room? I get to stay here?"

"Of course. All of our staff lives with us." Yuki answered, looking surprised that she would ask such a thing. Where did she think she was going to stay? "Well actually, we only have a gardener. Not too many of our maids stick around because of…well, you'll see."

Tohru wondered what could have scared away the maids. They got a place to stay and the Sohma family seemed so hospitable. What could possibly be wrong with this place? "O-okay."

"I hope you can handle it better than the rest of them. I would hate to see another maid leave because of that-…I'm babbling. Sorry, Honda-san. I should be showing you around, not muttering to myself." Yuki shook his head.

"That's okay…" Tohru paused, unsure of what to call him. She finally settled on something and continued, "Sohma-kun, could you please tell me what scared everyone away? I'm really curious…n-now that you've mentioned it…"

He smiled at her, "You'll find out. Anyway, this is your room."

Yuki motioned to the door beside him. Tohru had been so distracted that she didn't even notice that he had led her upstairs. She stared at the door for a minute before asking, "Can I go in?"

"Sure you can. It is your room after all," Yuki laughed and she felt embarrassed by her silly question.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside her new living space. The room was small and had pale, yellow walls. The floor was covered with a white carpet. In one corner of the room was a small bed. Next to the bed was a tiny nightstand with a lamp. The only other piece of furniture was a dresser.

"It's very…cozy." Tohru whispered, trying to think of an appropriate word to describe the space. She sat down on the edge of the bed. The mattress was very comfortable.

"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" Yuki asked, when she appeared to be done checking out the room.

She nodded eagerly, hopped off the bed, and followed him. Yuki showed her where all the bedrooms were, where the kitchen was and where anything else she might need would be. Tohru thought that he was a very good host. When he was all done, she thanked him and he said that he would see her later.

Tohru decided that it would be best to get started right away. From what she had seen on the tour, the house looked like it hadn't been cleaned in awhile. She chose to start with the laundry and headed back upstairs. She quickly collected all the heaps of dirty clothes that were strewn about, piling them into a basket. She scurried back downstairs to the laundry room. When she opened the lid to the washing machine, she saw that it was filled to the brim with wet clothes. Tohru gathered the wet clothes and loaded the machine with a new set of dirty clothing.

She remembered Yuki saying something about a laundry line out back. Tohru made her way towards where Yuki said the yard was. She stepped outside and set the basket of wet clothes down so she could marvel at their yard for a moment. The lawn was lush and green. There were a few round stones scattered throughout the yard, all-leading up to a tiny pond. The pond, which was surrounded by trees and flowers, had a small bridge that stretched across it. Tohru smiled to herself, thinking that the yard was very lovely and that the gardener was doing a wonderful job. She was about to pick up her basket and get back to work, when something caught her eye.

Standing a few feet away from the pond was a boy. His back was to her but she could make out that he was doing some sort of fighting practice. From what she could tell, he looked like he was about Yuki's age. She watched him for a minute, his tan arms pushing outward, punching an invisible foe. As she gazed at his arms, she could tell that he was well muscled and had a very lean figure. She was curious to see what his face looked like.

Tohru was so enamored with watching him that she didn't even notice him turn around. She could see a pair of deep crimson eyes that were burning behind his long, auburn bangs. His eyes were intense and angry…and they were focused right on _her_. She gulped and tried to move, but her feet were frozen in place. He wasn't moving either, simply glaring at her. His lips curled back slightly, revealing his abnormally sharp teeth. Tohru's fingers went numb and the basket slipped from her hands. She began to get the feeling back in her legs and scampered back into the house, slamming the door behind her.

She slid down the door, gasping for breath. She wasn't even sure of what she had just seen anymore. It couldn't have been a person. He had been too surreal, too beautiful and too…scary. He was definitely scary looking. Tohru thought he was more like a tiger, what with the way he moved and acted, than a person.

But why was he so mad at her? She hadn't said one word to him. All she did was watch him practice his martial arts. _Maybe he doesn't like being interrupted…or maybe he prefers to be alone? Or maybe this job isn't right for me after all…_

"See what I mean?" A voice above her asked with a chuckle.

Tohru looked up, startled but breathed a sigh of relief when she saw who it was, "Oh…Sohma-kun. You scared me…what did you mean?"

"Sorry. I guess I should explain. Remember when I said that it was hard for us to keep a maid for more then a few days?" Any trace of humor had disappeared from his face and voice. Tohru nodded, biting her lip. Yuki sighed and helped Tohru up, "Well you just met the reason why."

He motioned to the door and Tohru turned. She whipped back around when she realized what Yuki meant. Yuki nodded gravely, running a hand through his silver hair, "His name is Kyo, and he's chased off more staff members than I can count."

"Kyo…" Tohru whispered his name. She looked back to Yuki, her eyes questioning. "But…why? Why does he want to scare everyone away?"

Yuki frowned, shaking his head. "That's what I want to know. My guess would be that he doesn't want to let anyone in. He's shy and has a hard time opening up. So instead of trying to get close to people…he gets angry and scares them away. If you want to leave, I'll understand…"

"No!" Tohru interjected, waving her arms. "I don't want to leave. I really need the job and well…now that you told me about him…well, I kind of feel sorry for him. It sounds like he really doesn't know _how_ to be close to anyone. Please, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Yuki smiled at her. "If you say so, Honda-san."

He walked away, shaking his head. He had always thought that hiring another maid was a bad idea, that it would just end up like usual. He didn't want to see anyone else get hurt by Kyo's selfishness. But this girl seemed different. Maybe she was just what Kyo needed.

Tohru watched Yuki disappear around the corner, and she sighed. _I should probably wait until later to finish that laundry. I don't want him to get any angrier with me._ _I guess I'll go get dinner started. _

Tohru hurried off to the kitchen and began pulling things out for dinner. She put a huge pot on the stove and started loading it with ingredients for soup. Next, she pulled out a fish from the refrigerator and started seasoning it. While the fish was marinating and the soup was cooking, she loaded the rice cooker with tiny, white rice grains.

Tohru was just about to add some more vegetables to her soup, when she heard a voice from behind the door. The kitchen door slammed open and someone walked in, "Hey, when the hell are we going to eat? I'm starving!"

Tohru froze, her spoon nearly falling into the pot. This wasn't a familiar voice; she had never heard it before. She was too nervous to turn around and see who it was, but when she felt a pair of eyes on the back of her head, she couldn't help but sneak a peak. Tohru turned around ever so slightly and gasped when she saw the red head that had been in the backyard. She quickly whipped back around and tried to concentrate on her soup. She didn't want to make him any angrier, so maybe if she just ignored him he'd go away.

However, he simply made his way to the fridge and started rummaging around. Tohru, without thinking, warned him, "We're going to eat soon so please-"

Kyo's head shot up from behind the refrigerator door, "So please what?"

"Um…"

He ignored her and returned to his search. Tohru cleared her throat and decided to take a chance. She turned the burner on the stove down. She walked over to the fridge and leaned on the door, "I don't think I got the chance to introduce myself before. My name's Tohru Honda."

When he didn't answer her, she frowned. "Why are you mad at me?"

Kyo slammed the door shut, nearly causing her to fall over. He straightened up, glaring down at her, "You don't get it do you? If I wanted to talk to you, I would. Stop asking me so many questions!"

"But-"

"You shouldn't even be here! That's-" Kyo cut himself off and rushed out of the room. He had nearly said too much. He could never afford to say that much to anyone, especially an outsider.

Tohru just stood there, staring at the door. What had she done now?

_I guess I was prying too much. I just wish he would tell me what was bothering him…_

Just then, the door reopened. Tohru got excited for a moment, thinking that Kyo might have changed his mind. However, her face fell when she saw that it was Shigure.

"There you are," Shigure said while walking over to her, "I needed to talk to you about something."

"What?"

"Well, since you're going to be living with us, I figured I'd ask if there was anything you needed to get from your house."

Tohru's eyes widened, "Oh! Yes, I completely forgot about that. Can I go now? And while I'm at it, I'll probably need to tell my two friends where I'm staying…"

"Of course, of course." Shigure replied, waving her off. "But I think I'll send someone along with you. After all, it is pretty late and probably not too safe for a young girl to be walking around by herself."

"Okay…"

"You just go wait by the front door. I'll send someone to meet you there." Shigure added with a wink. Tohru simply nodded and went to wait by the door.

--

_Oh no…_Tohru thought when she saw her escort. A tiny lump formed in her throat when she saw familiar fiery hair coming through the doors. Kyo didn't look too happy about having to walk her back to her house. Tohru placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm her beating heart. She could feel herself beginning to break out in a sweat, and she teetered back and forth on her heels. _I probably look like a wreck!_

"Lets go." He said bluntly and pushed through the doors. Tohru nodded numbly and followed at his heels. They walked in silence; the only time someone spoke was when Tohru had to give directions.

Kyo stole a glance as they walked. He thought she looked like she was going to pass out. He let out a deep sigh, rubbing his temples.

"Hey um…girl? Sorry," He mumbled under his breath. "I didn't mean to get angry like that before."

"Huh?" Tohru had barely heard his apology. She was focusing on not passing out. She looked up at him with big, confused eyes. When his eyes locked with hers, he blushed and looked away.

_And it's 'Tohru', not 'girl'._ She mentally scolded him._ But I guess it's not his fault. He probably doesn't remember my name. He was kind of busy being angry when I told it to him._

Kyo took a deep breath and tried to explain, "About before. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"Then why did you?"

"Because…I wanted you to quite," He admitted sheepishly. He couldn't look her in the eyes after he told the truth. She would probably be really upset.

"Oh…" was all she could say, and she tried her best to focus on the road in front of them.

_My guess would be that he doesn't want to let anyone in. He's shy and has a hard time opening up_ _…_Yuki's smooth voice rang in the back of her head, causing her to look up at her companion. She cleared her throat and then asked, "Why do you want so many people to quit?"

Kyo stared at her for a moment, before closing his eyes. He really didn't want to tell her anymore then he already had. However, when she looked at him, it made him _want_ to tell her. Normally he would have gotten angry with her. That's how it had been with all the other maids. But she was different. He couldn't get angry with her because it made him feel guilty. Maybe it was because all the other maids had been older so he didn't connect with them like he had with her. She was close to his age and seemed like a genuinely kind person. He couldn't get mad at her when she treated him like that.

"Are we almost there?" Kyo sighed, obviously avoiding her question. He wasn't ready to tell her yet.

"Mhm," Tohru replied with a bright smile. She continued to lead the way towards her former house. She kept quiet for the rest of the way, not wanting to pressure him into telling her something.

"We're here!" Tohru chirped when the house came into view. She rushed ahead to open the door for him, and he couldn't help but chuckle.

_This girl can be really amusing_. He thought with a tiny smirk. Kyo followed her inside and looked around. Any idea of him chasing her off vanished when he got a look at her house. _She's definitely better off living with us then in this dump._

Kyo could feel his heart pounding in his chest at the thought of her staying. _I guess it doesn't take much for me to change my mind…But why the hell am I okay with this?! This is happening way too fast for me to control…_

Tohru was still standing in the doorway, watching his flickering expressions. He looked like he was arguing with himself. "Um…Sohma-kun? Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," He muttered under his breath, his cheeks turning pink. "Just get your stuff so we can get out of here."

"Okay!" Tohru rushed into her room and grabbed a bag. She stuffed all of clothes inside and a few pictures of her parents. She heaved the bag over her shoulder and went back to meet Kyo. He stared at her skeptically, "Is that it?"

"Yeah. That's it. Ready to go then?" Tohru asked, flashing him another brilliant smile.

Kyo's cheeks turned even redder, and he had to look away to conceal his blushing face. _Stop doing that! I can't keep blushing everytime she looks at me! What's happening?!_

Tohru was standing outside, waiting for him, so he silently cursed and rushed out. He lagged behind, not even daring to look at her. Tohru was more confused then ever. She wondered what she could have done to upset him.

He stayed behind for the majority of the trip and the silence was beginning to eat at her. Tohru chewed on her bottom lip, trying to think of something to say. Finally she just blurted out, "I'm sorry!"

"Huh?" Kyo lifted his head up at the sound of her voice.

She stopped walking, wheeled around, and bowed. Kyo just stood there and stared at her. Tohru murmured another apology. Kyo sighed, "What the hell are you apologizing for? You didn't do anything."

"I didn't? B-but you were so quiet and-"

"Listen. I…I don't normally get this close to someone. I'm just having a hard time adjusting to it. People usually last about an hour as one of our maids because of me. I get them to quit so they can't get closer to us…" Kyo admitted, his voice laced with shame and embarrassment.

Tohru just stood there and listened to his entire confession. She was both baffled and happy that he was opening up to her this quickly. She was still curious as to why he didn't want to be close to anyone, but she decided not to press her luck.

"Well…I'm really glad that I lasted more then an hour." She replied with an awkward smile. "But it's okay to let people in. W-what I mean is… if you ever need to talk to me, I'm here."

Kyo watched her cheeks turn the slightest shade of pink and his heart sped up. He rubbed the back of his neck and said the only thing he could think of, "Thanks."

"You're welcome!" She smiled and he fell into step with her.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad having someone to talk to. Especially someone who seemed this kind and understanding and he knew that he didn't have to worry about her running off to tell his secrets. She didn't seem like that type of girl. No, this was going to work out just fine. He just had to make sure that he didn't get too close. Close enough that he might end up getting hurt in the end. That was his worst fear.

Tohru meanwhile, was trying so hard not to steal glances of her new friend. A little, nagging voice in her head was reminding her over and over how attractive he was. That scene from earlier today, where he was out training in the backyard, didn't help much either. It kept flashing in her head, reminding her of how awestruck she was.

_We JUST became friends. There's no way I could-…anyway, he's like a prince and I'm…well I'm not a princess…It just wouldn't work!_ She tried to convince herself over and over again how it wouldn't work out that way. Finally, she solemnly persuaded herself and tried to forget about the idea all together.

Tohru was so caught up in her debate, that she didn't even realize how much she had fallen behind him. He was waiting a few feet ahead of her, half turned towards her with a smile on his face.

"Hurry up, _Tohru_."

_He remembered!_

Tohru's cheeks flushed. The way he said her name sent tingles up her spine and made her legs feel wobbly. She took a deep breath before she hobbled after him and started the argument with herself all over again.

--

A few days later, Tohru was making breakfast in the kitchen. These past few days felt like a blur to her. Every morning she came down and made breakfast for Shigure, Yuki and Kyo. After that came the best part of the day. Kyo would tell her to quite working and go take a break. That meant that she could go watch Kyo train. She felt her cheeks burn at the thought of him. Tohru had grown to really like Kyo because she had seen another side of him. When they first met, he had come off as this brash, angry person, but behind that, he was just really awkward and sweet.

Tohru finished molding the last rice ball and stuck it on a plate. As she turned around, Yuki came through the door. He was holding a big basket piled high with dirty laundry.

"Sohma-kun! Let me get that for you!" Tohru rushed over and took the basket from his hands.

Yuki scratched the back of his head, "Thanks. I'm sorry but do you mind washing those? We're expecting guests later and Shigure couldn't decide what to wear, so he wants you to wash it all."

"No problem!" Tohru flashed him a tenacious smile.

She immediately made her way to the laundry room and started loading the wash. She grabbed all the wet clothes and put them in the basket. Then she went to the backyard to hang up the wet laundry. She was about half way through when she heard of voice from the doorway.

"Tohru! There you are!"

Tohru glanced back to see Kyo leaning against the doorframe. He walked over to her and stood beside her. She looked up at him and smiled, "Hello Sohma-kun-"

"I thought I told you to just call me 'Kyo'" He sighed.

Tohru looked confused, "But I work for you. That would be rude."

"I don't care." He replied with a frown.

Tohru shrugged it off and went back to hanging up the clothes. She would have felt weird calling him by his first name, even though she really wanted to. She just thought that it wasn't right. After all, she worked for the Sohma family, so wouldn't that be considered impolite? _I'll just keep calling them 'Sohma-kun'._

Tohru gasped when she felt something graze the side of her head. She looked up to see Kyo's arms outstretched over her as he pinned a clean shirt to the laundry line. She grabbed his arm and tugged on it as hard as she could, "What are you doing?"

Kyo stared down at her, "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Tohru still held onto his arm, "This is my job…you don't have to help me…"

He pulled his arm away and ruffled her hair, "I know. I want to help you. This way you'll get done faster."

Tohru's face brightened when she realized that this meant he wanted to hang out. She figured it was useless to argue with him anyway because he usually won. So, she turned around and resumed her work without uttering another word. After a couple minutes of silence, Tohru let out a small yawn.

"Tired?" Kyo asked, flashing her an amused look. He was always looking for ways to get her to stop working because she always worked so hard. He thought she should take it a little easier.

Tohru pouted, sensing his scam immediately. "N-no. I'm fine, Sohma-kun…"

She really was tired, but she couldn't let him know that. If he knew that, he would send her inside to take a nap and she wouldn't be able to get anything done around the house. She couldn't afford that; there was too much to do.

_It would help if I got more sleep at night…_She thought with a small sigh.

Tohru hadn't slept very well ever since she came back from her old house with Kyo. Every night, she would have the same dream. There would be nothing but darkness until a huge house appeared. She would always go into the house and would be met by a pair of angry, red eyes. However, instead of running away in fear, Tohru would reach out into the darkness. The anger would subside and a gentle face would appear. It was Kyo's face. She would try to say his name but no words would come out of her mouth. Then he would turn and start to walk away. Tohru would try and try to call out to him, but he would always just disappear.

_Why am I dreaming about him? What does it mean?_ Tohru pinned another clean shirt to the laundry line. _And why does he always disappear? _She absentmindedly let out another yawn.

"I can finish this." Kyo's gruff voice tore her from her thoughts.

"It's okay, I'll be-"

"Tohru," He turned to face her and Tohru desperately tried to keep her focus on the clothesline.

He said her name a second time, only more gently and she couldn't help but look at him. That was a big mistake. When his eyes locked with hers, she couldn't keep up the charade any longer.

"Maybe I am a little tired…" She confessed while yawning again. "I'll go lay down…"

Kyo smirked, victorious. He really wished that she would take time to relax more often. She was always working and taking care of everyone else, but she never took time to take care of herself. He watched her amble off to the big tree in the yard. She settled down underneath it, and he went back to finishing the laundry.

Minutes later, Kyo finished hanging up the rest of the clothes. He picked up the now empty basket and headed over to where Tohru was resting. When he reached the big tree, he couldn't help but crack a smile.

Tohru's lashes brushed against her cheek as she slept silently under the shade of the huge tree. Her cheeks were tinged and her mouth hung open slightly. Kyo blushed when he realized he was watching her sleep. _Stop staring, pervert!_

He quickly settled down beside her, opting to not look at her face and stare at the pond instead. However, he couldn't keep his focus and had to steal glances of her every couple of minutes. He couldn't help it that she looked cute when she was sleeping.

_Jeez…now I really feel disgusting. This isn't working out the way I planned. I'm becoming too attached to her. I just wanted to be her friend…enough so that she wouldn't be upset…so that I wouldn't have to keep pushing her away. It was too hard to push her away but now…_

"I think I might love her," Kyo muttered under his breath. Tohru mumbled something in her sleep and he quickly looked to make sure she hadn't heard him. When he was confident she was still sleeping, he sunk back into his thoughts.

_I know it's only been a few days but she's different then anyone else I've ever met. No matter how hard I try I can't keep my distance._

He peeked at her sleeping form once more and sighed. She certainly was making things complicated for him, wasn't she?

_I'll just have to keep my feelings to myself. She can't ever find out. _

Kyo took a deep breath and gently shook Tohru's shoulder. She didn't wake up so he shook her a little harder. She kept on sleeping so he gave up, and she slumped back down against his shoulder.

"Great." He muttered, his cheeks burning.

"Kyo…"

Kyo turned at what he thought was the sound of his name. Tohru had whispered something under her breath while she was sleeping, and he was almost certain it had been his name.

She fidgeted in her sleep, her eyebrows creasing slightly, "Kyo-kun…don't…"

"Don't what?" Kyo asked loudly, hoping to wake her up. He wished he could have let her sleep more, she was obviously exhausted, but it would have been rude to listen in on her and their guests would be arriving soon anyway.

Tohru sat up, her eyes shooting open. She blinked once and then looked around, trying to find the source of the noise that woke her up. She calmed down when her eyes fell on Kyo.

"Oh…it's just you, Sohma-kun…" She breathed, one hand resting on her heart.

_So she can call me by my name in her sleep but not when she's awake?_ Kyo's thoughts had a sarcastic ring to them, but he decided not to ask her about the dream she had. She would have known he was listening to her sleep talking, and he didn't want to sound like a creep.

His cheeks flushed so he quickly stood up, hoping she wouldn't notice. He held out one hand for her. Tohru looked at his hand and then smiled. She placed her hand in his, and he helped her to her feet.

"Where are we going, Sohma-kun?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"The guests will probably be here soon. We should head back inside."

"The guests!" Tohru shouted, letting go of his hand and smacking her forehead. "I completely forgot! I have too many things to do still!"

She went into full on panic mode. She uttered a tiny apology and darted back into the house to finish getting ready. Kyo was left standing in the yard, a small smile on his lips. She was cute when she panicked

_Stop thinking like that!_ He mentally scolded himself, blushed, and followed Tohru inside the house.

Tohru spent the next hour getting ready for the Sohma's special guests. She finished the laundry, cleaned the bathrooms, prepared the guest rooms and started cooking dinner. Kyo and Yuki were getting dizzy just watching her work. When she was all done she met them in the kitchen, "Are they almost here?"

Like magic, there was a knock on the front door.

"Creepy." Kyo muttered as Yuki left to go answer the door.

"I can't wait to meet whoever's coming." Tohru smiled at Kyo earnestly.

He smiled down at her, "You'll regret that. Our family's pretty crazy."

Yuki came back through the door, followed by a small boy with blonde hair. He was dressed in a frilly pink shirt and green shorts. His socks reached his knees and he had a huge, striped lollipop in his right hand.

"This is Momiji." Yuki motioned to the smaller boy, who was now grinning from ear-to-ear.

Momiji bounded over to Tohru and hugged her, "Nice to meet you!"

Tohru felt a little dizzy but managed a friendly smile, "You too…I'm Tohru Honda."

While Momiji began to babble on about himself and ask Tohru a million questions about her, there was another tap on the door. Yuki went to go see who it was. By the time he returned Tohru had learned the Momiji was a year younger then her, even though he looked like a child, and that he lived with his father nearby.

Behind Yuki was a tall boy wearing black pants, a black t-shirt and a white jacket that was covered with all sorts of complicated looking straps and pockets. Tohru noticed that his outfit matched his hair, which was white on top and black on the bottom. Tohru also noticed that he wore a lot of flashy jewelry, like multiple earrings, rings, and necklaces.

"This is Hatsuharu," Yuki introduced him and Tohru repeated her name.

"Nice to meet you, Hatsuharu-san." Tohru smiled and shook his hand. He nodded and smiled back.

"So you're the new maid, Honda-san?" Haru asked nonchalantly.

Tohru nodded enthusiastically and he continued talking, "It's nice to see that Kyo doesn't want to chase _everyone_ away."

"Shut up," Kyo hissed.

Haru laughed at his reaction and then turned back to Tohru. Before he could ask another question, Momiji interrupted. "Do you like working here? I mean, I know Kyo can get cranky sometimes, but they're nice to you right?"

"HEY!" Kyo shouted and made a grab for the small boy, who danced out of the way.

"I love it," Tohru answered honestly, and stretched out her arms to try and break up the fight between Kyo and Momiji. Once he felt Tohru grab his arm, Kyo calmed down immediately. She then continued her answer. "I really like working here. This is going to sound silly but…I feel sort of like Cinderella."

"Cinderella?" The four boys asked in unison.

"Yes. Well without the evil stepsisters of course! But I had nothing left at my old house and now I get to live here and everyone is so nice to me…I can't thank you enough…"

"We should be the ones thanking you," Yuki replied. "You've done so much more then what we've asked." He flashed Kyo a quick glance when he said that.

"Well…then your welcome." Tohru said, a bit confused. She had only been doing her job. She had no clue what else Yuki was talking about.

"Yeah…thanks," Kyo muttered, thinking that Yuki was looking at him so he would thank Tohru as well. Yuki sighed, shaking his head.

There was a third knock on the door and Yuki went to answer it, "There's our last guest."

Tohru smiled at him and then turned back to watch the other guests, who were all on the other side of the room filling their plates, and Kyo. She felt sort of embarrassed for confessing she felt like a princess, but it was true. It still sounded stupid, even in her head, but that was probably because she left out the most important detail. She peeked at Kyo, who was on the other side of the room, and blushed.

The real reason she felt like Cinderella was because she felt like she was being swept away by a handsome prince.

_Now THAT sounds really silly._ She thought with a tiny giggle. She shouldn't be thinking like this when she knew Kyo didn't feel the same way. He probably barely wanted to be friends with her.

_He DID want me gone…_ She frowned. _Now he's probably just trying to be nice. And besides he's rich and I'm not. Plus I work for him. I'll just keep it to myself. Nobody has to know._ She tried to convince herself, like she did everyday, and smiled awkwardly. That was the answer. She would just keep her feelings locked away. They would go away eventually.

"Honda-san?"

She looked up at the sound of Yuki's voice. Standing beside him was a petite girl with shoulder length, dark brown hair. She was wearing a sea green dress.

"Hi…" She smiled shyly at Tohru, who returned the look.

_What an adorable little girl!_ Tohru thought.

"SHIT!" everyone turned around when Kyo shouted. He dropped his plate of food and made a break for the door.

"Sohma-ku-"

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru watched as the girl bounded from Yuki's side over to Kyo, who was desperately looking for an escape route. Kyo was too slow and she managed to catch him. She grabbed his arm and buried her face in his chest.

"Why haven't you come to visit me?" She pouted.

Kyo rolled his eyes and tried to push her away, "Get off of me!"

Tohru was very confused now. Not only was there a small sinking feeling in her chest from watching this girl hang all over Kyo, but she was curious about who this girl was. She walked over and tapped on the girl's shoulder, ignoring the throbbing feeling in her chest when she looked at them.

"Excuse me…hello I'm Tohru Honda! Who are you?" Tohru asked as politely as she could. The girl turned around at the sound of Tohru's question, without releasing her grip on Kyo.

"Me? I'm Kagura, Kyo-kun's fiancé."

((To Be Continued…))

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Cliffhanger! I'm thinking that the fairytale will get wrapped up in the next chapter. Please review (I'd like to get 10) and please let me know what you think of this chapter and the story! :D


	5. See You At Seven

Note: Thanks for all of the fast reviews everyone. This will be the last part of Kyoko's "fairy-tale". Hope you enjoy it!

Replies: I won't be replying to every review, only certain ones. Please don't be upset if I didn't respond to yours, but these were reviews that I felt needed responding to.

_Otaku-Rehab:_ XD I love your idea so much that I had to rethink of this entire chapter, just to find a way to make Aya the fairy godmother! Thanks for the suggestion and the review!

_Animelvr23: _It's quite possible that one of her relatives could have told her this story... Anyway, thanks for reviewing every for single chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

* * *

How I Met Your Mother  
_Chapter Five: See You At Seven_

Tohru blinked, now even more confused then before. She blinked once more, trying her hardest to process what this girl had just told her. It didn't fully sink in until moments later.

_Kyo-kun's fiance..._

The sinking feeling in her chest was getting worse every passing second. Time seemed to stand still as she watched this girl snuggle against Kyo's arm. Tohru was too flabbergasted to notice that Kyo was desperately trying to push her off. The pain in her chest intensified. It felt like a huge hole was forming inside her, threatening to tear her apart and that her stomach was tangling itself into multiple knots.

"Is something wrong?" The girl, Tohru couldn't remember her name no matter how hard she tried, asked without batting an eyelash.

Tohru tried to answer her question, but nothing came out. Her throat was too tight and her mouth was too dry to form any words. She simply shook her head no. The girl smiled, content with her answer and turned back to Kyo.

Tohru finally managed to find her voice, and masking any of the emotions that were churning inside her she said, "E-excuse me..."

She dashed out of the room as fast as her wobbly legs would take her. This earned her some questioning looks from some of the party guests, others didn't notice her leave, but she didn't care. She made her way up the steps and went into her room, slamming the door behind her. She slid down the door and tried to remember how to breath. Slowly but surely, air started to fill her lungs again and she felt less shaky. However, the gaping hole in her chest was still there. Tohru managed to get to her feet using the door for support. She hobbled over to her bed and sat down.

_What's wrong with me? I feel like I'm going to be sick..._She thought, letting her head fall into her hands. Her long brown hair fell around her in wispy strands. _That girl and Sohma-kun are engaged. I should be happy for them...it's such a wonderful occasion...so why am I sad? _

_It's because your prince isn't yours anymore..._A nagging voice in the back of her head answered.

Tohru lifted her head up, blinking back oncoming tears. Since when was he her prince? Sure, they had gotten close, but she was almost certain that she had managed to suppress that idea and her feelings for him. She had thought of a million reasons why they couldn't be together and she listed those reasons off almost everyday. None of that seemed to matter now, because she couldn't hold her feelings in anymore. Her body began to shake, and she drew her knees up against her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut in another pathetic attempt to fight off the tears, and that image of Kyo disappearing, from her dream, flashed in her head. Tohru opened her eyes finally allowing the tears to flow freely down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes, whimpering quietly.

_I love him. I shouldn't, but I do. I wanted to be with him all along but it was wrong, so I denied it. Now I've lost my chance. _

She rubbed her eyes, actually laughing a bit, "This isn't exactly what I thought my first love would be like."

Tohru felt better after crying. In fact, it felt good to have finally admitted it to herself. She knew she would just have to suck it up and deal with it. If this girl made Kyo happy then she was happy. If you really love someone, that's what you want the most right?

She gussied up in the mirror, trying to make it look like she hadn't been crying, and went back downstairs. She was surprised to see Yuki waiting for her at the bottom of the steps. She stopped on the last step and tried to put on her best smile, "Is something wrong, Sohma-kun?"

"I should be asking you that, Honda-san. You looked upset when you left." He said pointedly.

Tohru's mouth twitched in an attempt to keep smiling. She resisted the urge to spill her guts, "N-no! Everything's great, please don't worry about me...you should be enjoying your party.

Yuki looked unconvinced, so she was surprised by his answer, "All right. If you say so."

Tohru stared at his back as he retreated into the other room. She stood on the stairs for a minute longer, debating on whether or not to follow him. She took a deep breath and walked into the room. Her brown eyes immediately darted around, seeking out the pretty, young woman from before. Tohru wanted to apologize for her behavior and try to congratulate her and Kyo. No matter how much it would kill her to do so, she knew it was the right thing to do.

She stopped searching when her eyes landed on a head of familiar fiery orange hair. Tohru breathed in again and sauntered over beside him, "Sohma-kun?"

Kyo looked down in surprise, "Hey! Where the hell did you go?"

"U-upstairs..." Tohru replied in a hushed voice. This plan seemed a whole lot simpler in her head.

"What for?" He asked, his eyes drifting back to his plate.

She shifted uncomfortably, "Well...um..."

Tohru tried to block out the last twenty minutes of her sitting up in her room, crying to herself. She didn't need to relive that. Kyo turned to look at her when she didn't answer and he didn't miss the pained look in her eyes. He dropped his plate on the table and placed his free hand on her shoulder. Tohru realized her mistake and averted her gaze to the floor.

"What happened?" Kyo asked as gently as he could. It came out as more of a demand, but he was worried about her.

"N-nothing...I-I'm f-" Tohru winced when she felt another hand on her shoulder. It had been so much easier to lie to Yuki...

Tohru squeezed her eyes shut so she couldn't look at him. If she looked at him, it would have been over. He would look at her with his smoldering, crimson eyes and after that, she wouldn't be able to hide anymore. She felt the pressure on her shoulders lighten, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Kyo's hands slipped from her shoulders and he gently cupped her face in his hands. He tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him.

"Explain."

Tohru stared at him, unsure of what to tell him. Those damn tears were threatening to resurface again, so she just went with the first thing that popped into her head, "I...I quit."

"Huh?" Kyo's face went blank. He wasn't sure what he had just heard.

"I quit." Tohru repeated, biting her bottom lip.

She didn't want to, but she couldn't go back now. It actually would be better this way, for the both of them. It would be a clean break. She wouldn't have to worry about seeing Kyo and his fiance and the Sohma's could get on with their lives. Kyo wouldn't have to worry about her all the time or pretend to be her friend. This is what he really wanted; he wouldn't have to worry about getting closer to her now. Yes, this would work out just fine, it would just take some time.

Kyo let go of her chin and took a step back, "I don't get it..."

"Um...I just don't think this job is working out..." She mumbled in an attempt to quickly explain herself.

"Please tell me you're joking, Tohru." His tone came across as angry but Tohru detected begging in his voice. Either he really didn't want her to leave or he was a good actor.

"I'm not...tomorrow's my last day..." She tried to mask her uncertainty.

Without saying another word, Kyo turned and stormed off. He pushed through the small crowd of family members, trying to locate the one person he thought could talk some sense into Tohru. He had to be able to get through to her. She was talking nonsense! Why, all of a sudden, would she want to quit? What could have happened in the last hour that would make her want to leave?

"Yuki," The name came out more like a disgruntled growl.

"What?" The silver haired prince turned around to face Kyo.

"She quit."

"What are you talking about? Who quit?" Yuki asked, befuddled.

"Tohru just quit." Kyo explained through grit teeth.

Yuki pushed past him and went to find their maid, or soon-to-be-ex-maid. He found her still standing near the food table and gently grabbed her arm, "Honda-san, can I talk to you in the kitchen?"

Before she could answer, Yuki led her out of the room by the arm and into the kitchen. He let go once they were out of everyone else's listening range, "You're quitting?"

Tohru's eyes widened. Kyo had sure gotten the word out fast. "Yes...I don't think this is working..."

"What do you want? A higher paycheck is no problem." Yuki prompted. She couldn't just up and leave them. Not after all she had done for them.

"No, but thanks for everything. I know this seems sudden, but I have to do this. I hope you understand." Tohru replied, bowing politely.

Yuki looked surprised but bowed back. He didn't want her to leave but he couldn't force her to stay. If she wanted to leave, then he had to let her go. It seemed like her mind was made up. He straightened up and then said, "Well then...good luck. You have no idea how much you'll be missed around here."

Tohru smiled, wishing she could believe him.

--

The next morning, Tohru woke up with butterflies in her stomach. She, for what felt like the tenth time, hadn't slept well last night. She was too worried about how today was going to pan out to even think about sleeping. She rubbed her eyes, threw the covers off her body, and went to get dressed. Tohru felt like being comfortable, so she chose to wear one of her mom's old house dresses. The dress was long and flowey, so it was comfy. Once she was dressed, she pulled her hair into a messy bun and made her way downstairs.

Tohru really wasn't looking forward to facing the Sohma family. She knew that they were all upset, some more upset then others, about her sudden decision to leave. Shigure had laughed it off and wished her the best. Yuki was very polite about the whole thing, also wishing her success. Kyo was a different story. Tohru gulped nervously. She hadn't seen Kyo since she told him she was quitting the night before, and if she had to guess, he was probably royally ticked off at her. After she told him, he seemed to try and avoid her for the rest of the night.

She slipped into the kitchen and started to make her last breakfast in the Sohma house.

_Shouldn't he have been happy that I was quitting? He doesn't want me here anyway..._She thought gloomily.

Tohru peered over her shoulder at the sound of footsteps. Her chocolate eyes widened when Kyo walked calmly into the room, and she quickly whipped back around. Tohru didn't hear anymore footsteps and began to feel her curiosity bubbling inside her. What was he doing? She slowly turned around to check and froze when she got all the way around.

Kyo was standing in the doorway, watching her make breakfast, but that wasn't what made her freeze. When she looked into his eyes, it caused her heart to thump widely in her chest. His crimson eyes were angry but they immediately softened when they made contact with her. This surprised Tohru; she was expecting him to look at her like he did on her first day.

"G-good morning, Sohma-kun..." She whispered, trying unsuccessfully to mask the shakiness in her voice.

"Morning," he replied curtly.

Tohru wasn't sure what to say to him, but she didn't want him to leave. She wanted to clear the air between the two of them before she left. She placed the food she had been preparing on the counter and then turned back to face him. He was leaning on the doorframe now.

"Um...Sohma-kun, I'm really sorry about last night," She squeaked.

Kyo closed his eyes, "Don't be sorry. If this is what you want..."

Tohru paused before asking, "Are you mad?"

Kyo opened one eye and pushed off the doorframe, "I have to go."

Tohru winced, wishing that she hadn't asked him. He had looked like he was going to explode and probably had to leave so he wouldn't yell. She wanted to follow him and explain herself but her feet wouldn't let her. Without another word, she turned around and went back to finishing her breakfast.

After making the meal, while silently hoping Kyo would come back, Tohru decided tidy up upstairs. She grabbed the duster from the supply closet and slowly climbed up the steps. She chose to clean the table at the top of the stairs first. Tohru began to remove picture frames, pots, and other various nick-knacks from the table so she could dust.

Just as the feathers hit the table, Tohru heard a noise from the room nearby.

"I don't like it." One voice from behind the door spoke firmly.

"And you think I do? But it's up to her..." Another voice responded, much more calm and collected then the first.

"I just wish she would tell us why..." The first voice said and let out a tiny sigh.

Tohru held one of the vases against her chest, her breath caught in her throat. Yuki and Kyo were in the other room and she was almost certain they were talking about her. She wasn't sure if she should leave or keep listening in. She knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but she couldn't bring herself to move out of earshot. She wanted to know what they were saying about her.

"That's also up to her." Yuki's voice was still monotone, obviously trying to keep Kyo's temper in check.

"You don't think something happened last night? Maybe that damn Shigure put his hands on her. I'll murder him if he did..." Kyo's voice faded into incoherent snarls.

Yuki finally couldn't take it anymore. Kyo was going to lose his temper if this kept up and he would probably end up taking it out on Tohru, who coincidentally, was the only person who could calm him down. Yuki knew that Kyo was the only person who could keep Tohru from leaving. He also knew why Tohru was leaving, but he wanted Kyo to figure that out for himself. He had seen Tohru's face when Kagura had announced that she was Kyo's fiance, but Kyo didn't seem to notice. He had been too busy trying to shove Kagura away.

_Honda-san must, and I can't imagine why, love Kyo. She probably couldn't bear to see him with Kagura so she did the only thing she could think of and that was leave. Too bad she doesn't know Kagura always says that, even though there's no truth to it. I don't want to tell her because I'm not certain how either one of them feels for sure...even though I'm pretty sure this idiot loves her too. Honda-san doesn't realize how much she's caused him to open up...and how damaging her departure will be. She's the first outsider that Kyo has trusted and let into his life and if she abandons him like this...well who knows._

"Hey, Yuki I asked you a question."

Kyo jerked Yuki from his thoughts, "Oh sorry...what do you want now?"

"Where do you think she's going to go?"

"Why don't you ask _her." _Yuki replied. He was getting a little annoyed by Kyo's roundabout ways of handling the situation.

"I don't want to talk to her. I'll just end up yelling at her." Kyo muttered back.

Tohru gripped the vase even tighter. He didn't even want to speak to her.

Yuki let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed his temples, "Maybe if you explained your situation to her, she might reconsider."

She pressed her ear up against the door. She knew Kyo had a hard time trusting people, but she didn't know about his "situation". _I wonder what it is..._

Kyo snorted, "She doesn't need to know about it. You knowing is bad enough. Nobody else is finding out unless I say so."

Tohru's brows slanted in confusion. What on earth could Kyo be talking about?

"All I'm saying is that if she knew, she might not want to leave anymore." Yuki reasoned. He wanted to get this over with. Kyo was starting to give him a headache.

"She doesn't need to hear my sob-story, and I told you I'm never telling _anyone_," Kyo replied, his loud voice fading towards the end of his explanation.

"Then maybe it's better that the two of you are separating." Yuki leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes in an attempt to ease the pain in his head. Kyo was surprised by what he said and looked at him skeptically. "I mean...it seems like you love her so much that it's tearing you apart."

"W-what?" Kyo sputtered, turning a very deep shade of red. Was it that obvious?

Tohru was blushing on the other side of the door, and her breathing became labored. She leaned in closer to the door, eagerly waiting to hear what Kyo had to say.

"Your afraid to even be friends with people," Yuki smirked. "So even the idea of falling in love scares you to death. And because of that, you look for excuses to chase her away or to keep your feelings suppressed. Admit it, Kyo..."

Kyo stared at him, his mouth hanging open slightly. He slowly closed his mouth, his jaw tightening. His eyes avoided Yuki's and he glanced down at the floor, "I-I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Admit i-"

"THERE'S NOTHING TO ADMIT, SO STOP ASKING!"

_Crash!_

Yuki and Kyo stopped glaring at one another when they heard a loud, shattering sound from outside the door. They exchanged glances and quickly moved to see what it was. Yuki was the first to reach the door and he flung it open.

Tohru stood there, staring at the broken pieces of glass on the floor. She looked up when the door opened, "U-um..."

"Honda-san? What happened?" Yuki asked, his eyes focused on the shattered vase.

"I um...sorry. I didn't mean to. I'll clean it up and go..." She mumbled, her hands still shaking.

Tohru scurried away to get a broom and dustpan. Yuki watched her leave while Kyo simply gawked at the sharp objects scattered about on the floor. When she was out of sight, Yuki turned around to face the red-head, "Are you going to say something to Honda-san or not?"

Kyo scowled at him and that was as good as a 'no'.

Before Yuki could protest, Tohru returned with the cleaning supplies. She fumbled with the dustpan as she bent down to clean up the mess. She finished as fast as she could, all while avoiding Kyo's eyes. Kyo brushed past Yuki and Tohru, slowly descending the stairs. She watched him go down, but quickly turned away when she realized Yuki was watching her. She smiled awkwardly, trying to brush off the longing look in her eyes and the tightness in her chest. Yuki returned her smile and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry about him, Honda-san. He's taking this pretty hard, as you can tell..."

"Yeah. I should probably get going, I wouldn't want to upset him anymore than I already have." Tohru glanced back at the now empty staircase.

In less then an hour Tohru was packed and said her goodbyes. She slipped out the door of the mansion, turning back to thank Yuki and Shigure one last time before stepping off the porch. When her feet were on the dirt path that lead to the house, she peeked over her shoulder and up at the sky. Her eyes slowly fell onto the roof and the strange shape perched on it. She squinted and recognized Kyo sitting up on the roof. He had been staring intently at her, watching her leave, and he promptly looked away when their eyes met. A clumsy smile tugged at the corner of her lips before she turned to leave, not looking back to see if Kyo was staring again.

Yuki ran a hand through his hair, "I didn't think she would end up leaving..."

Shigure shrugged, "It really is a shame. Now we'll have to order take-out again."

"That's not what I meant, but thank you for offering such sentimental opinion." Yuki muttered sarcastically, glaring at the older man.

Shigure grinned, "It was just a joke. I know there really are worse things then that. For one, we'll have to put up with Kyo's constant sulking again."

"Yeah," Yuki sighed. He _really _didn't want to have to deal with that again. "Unless I can fix this."

"What can you do?" Shigure asked as he headed towards the other room.

"I have a plan. Just leave this to me, Shigure."

--

Tohru cracked one eye open as the sunlight came peeking in through the windows. It had been almost two weeks since she had quit her job at the Sohma estate and she was still having a hard time flushing any lingering feelings of it away. She didn't think it would have taken this long, but she was starting to feel conflicted. She was tired of feeling pain from losing something she loved and that part of her wished she could forget and move on. Another part of her didn't want to lose what few memories of him that she had. She wanted to hold onto them, lock them away and preserve them.

She threw her legs over the side of the bed and walked over to her dresser. She pulled on some clothes, fixed her hair and headed out the door. She shuffled outside of her tiny house to get any mail that might have been dropped off. She picked up the newspaper laying on the side of the road and opened the tiny mailbox that stood beside it. Tohru was surprised to only find a tiny card sitting inside the box. She pulled it out with two fingers and flipped it over, her eyes scanning over the fancy design.

It had a light-blue background and the foreground was covered in a rainbow of swirls. The whirlpool of color twisted on the right side of the card to form a woman, who Tohru thought resembled a princess. On the left side of the card was some dark blue text surrounded by a white box.

Tohru read words on the card out loud, "Ayame's tailoring and costume shop. Come visit us on 106 West Street."

At first she thought that this must have been just some sort of advertising attempt, but then she flipped the card back over.

The back of the card was entirely white, except for something scrawled out in black ink. Tohru's eyes widened as she read the neatly scribbled message:

_Please visit me at this shop at 1 o'clock on Friday_

_-Yuki_

The card slowly slipped from her fingertips and fluttered to the ground. Tohru bit her lip, her knees starting to shake. Today was Friday. She scooped the card off the floor and tucked it into her pocket. She rushed back into the house, the conflicted feelings within her starting to bubble again.

She plopped down onto an old chair, pulling the card out again. She turned it back to the princess side, debating on whether she should go or not. Her tawny eyes wandered to a clock hanging on a wall on the other side of the room. It was almost 12:30. She had to make up her mind soon.

--

"Sohma-kun!" She called, breathless from running.

Yuki was standing outside of a tiny little shop, waiting for Tohru to arrive. He looked up when he heard her calling and greeted her with a dazzling smile, "I wasn't sure if you were coming."

Tohru stopped when she was a few feet in front of him, pausing to catch her breath. She looked up at him, her cheeks slightly flushed, "I wasn't sure either."

Tohru looked above his head to see the shop that was advertised on the card. A picture similar to the one on the card hung above the double doors. The sign read: Ayame's tailoring and costume shop, just like the card said. Her gaze fell back on Yuki, "So...what's this about?"

"Well...it's a couple of things really." He said, his smile slowly fading. "But before I tell you anything, I need you to tell me something."

"Okay..."

"And you have to tell me the truth." He gave her a suspicious look and Tohru stiffened. She promised not to lie, adding that she never really was a good liar anyway, and he proceeded with his questioning," Why did you really quit?"

Tohru stiffened even more, her cheeks turning even pinker. She began to fidget and was unsure if she could answer him truthfully, "Well...I don't really want to..."

"You promised." He reminded.

"I-I know but I-" She began and then stopped. She definitely couldn't tell him. It was too difficult and embarrassing.

"Was it because of something someone in the house did?" Yuki prompted.

"S-sort of." Tohru replied, staring down at her feet instead of his intimidating gaze.

"Was it me?"

Tohru shook her head.

"Shigure?"

"N-no..." She replied, shaking her head again.

"...Kyo?" Yuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

He watched as her blush increased tenfold, so that she was red to the roots of her hair. He nodded, looking away so she wouldn't be as embarrassed, "Okay, so it was Kyo. I figured that much."

"Y-you knew?" Tohru looked up, surprise plastered all over her still pink face.

"Just a lucky guess. What did he do that made you want to quit?" Yuki continued. His plan wouldn't work unless he officially knew what the problem was. He already had a pretty good idea as to what had happened, but he wanted to be sure.

Tohru realized that she couldn't hide anymore so she took a deep breath and whispered, "I um...I think I'm in love with him and...seeing him about to get married-"

She stopped when she heard a chortle from beside her. She turned to see Yuki covering his mouth with one hand, trying to keep himself from laughing out loud. Tohru looked alarmed, "Sohma-kun? Are you all right?"

Yuki waved her off, "I'm sorry, Honda-san. Please excuse me. I didn't mean to laugh at you but what you said was kind of funny."

"F-funny?"

"You said Kyo was getting married. To who?" Yuki smiled, trying to keep his laughter suppressed.

Tohru looked confused. Hadn't Yuki heard Kagura's announcement at the party?

"You know, that girl from the party, Kagura. She said she was Kyo-kun's fiance." Tohru tried to explain as best she could, but his expressions were throwing her off.

"I should probably explain, Honda-san." Yuki chuckled. "You see, Kagura has always had a serious crush on Kyo, but he's never returned her feelings. She likes to go around saying that they're going to be married, but it's not really happening. It's all in her imagination."

Tohru's mouth fell open. It had all been a joke? Kyo wasn't really getting married!

"If I would have known that was the problem I would've said something before you left..." Yuki mused, scratching his chin.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before, but I was too embarrassed. Now I wish I had said something." Tohru sighed, her head hanging in shame.

Her head shot back up when she realized something, "Wait! H-how's Kyo-kun then? He must have something to do with why you called me here. Please tell me..."

Yuki took a deep breath and shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat, "All right, I suppose I should explain that too. Kyo's been a wreck since you left. Worse then before you came and worked for us."

Tohru gulped, her tiny hands curling into fists. She hadn't meant for this to happen and she didn't think things would turn out this bad.

"You have no idea how attached he was to you, Honda-san. You were his first real friend. As I told you before, Kyo has trust issues because of something from his past. Now, I don't know what exactly happened that made him that way. He never said what it was, but whatever it was, it made him have a hard time opening up and accepting others." Yuki said, but he stopped his explanation when he saw the look on Tohru's face.

Her fingertips were curled around her shirt, clutching the fabric. Her bottom lip stuck out and her brown eyes were glossy. She sniffled and Yuki looked alarmed, "Honda-san, I didn't mean to make you feel guilty. This isn't really your fault. It was just a misunderstanding."

Tohru wiped her eyes, "I just feel so...I don't even know. I can't believe that I did that to him. I didn't want to abandon him but-"

"It's okay," Yuki cut her off, "we'll fix this. You can bring him back."

"H-how?" Tohru looked up, the corners of her eyes soaked with tiny, glistening tears.

"Let's go inside. You'll see."

Tohru sniffled once more and followed him through the glass double-doors. The inside of the shop was just as bright and colorful as its' advertisement. Walls and walls of costumes and outfits lined shelves that seemed to go on forever. Tohru noticed that everything was organized by color and that there was a door in the back of the shop. She could feel plush and squishy carpet beneath her shoes. She stared in awe and the white walls where tons of photos of fashion models and clothes hung. Once she was done soaking it all in, she turned to look at Yuki, "What's all this for?"

"This is my brother's costume shop. We need to get you an outfit for our party tomorrow night." Yuki grinned.

"Party?" Tohru echoed, her eyes drifting back to the rows of color.

"Yes. I'm throwing a party at the estate tomorrow night and you're invited. This way, you can see Kyo and tell him everything."

Tohru could feel her cheeks burning, "I'm not sure about this..."

"The only way to get him to stop being such a grouch is to tell him everything. Then he'll see why you left and forgive you. Just trust me, Honda-san."

"O-okay." Tohru mumbled. What choice did she have?

She stumbled over to one of the shelves and began to look through the clothing. She gasped when she got a look at one of the price tags, "Sohma-kun, how am I going to afford these?"

"Just leave that to me. I told you my brother owns this shop." Yuki replied cooly.

"I couldn't do that. It wouldn't be right to let you spend this much money on me..." Tohru complained quietly.

"I won't. My brother offered to give me something for free." Yuki exhaled, "I kind of told him about our little problem, and he agreed to help."

"You told him?" Tohru's cheeks turned pink.

"Just the minor details. He seemed excited to help out. I think he just wanted to spend some time with me." Yuki's brilliant smile appeared, "Too bad I can't stand him."

"Why not?" Tohru inquired, setting down a purple blouse.

"He's a little too loud and flamboyant for me...well, you'll see. I'll go find him." Yuki put down whatever he was looking at and disappeared into the back of the store.

Tohru waited patiently, her fingers beginning to intertwine. Suddenly she whipped around at the sound of a loud noise.

The door in the back flung open, revealing a tall man. He glided out, his long white hair flowing behind him. He wore long violet colored robes that swished around when he walked. His yellow eyes gleamed with delight as he approached a very nervous Tohru. When he was closer, Tohru realized that he look like Yuki, except much older. She guessed that he was Yuki's big brother.

"You must be Tohru!" He said, his voice oozing with merriment.

"Y-yes!" She answered, feeling overwhelmed by the sight of him. He seemed less human, and more magical, then the rest of the Sohma family. Maybe it was because of the way he was dressed.

"You're the one who thinks that she is Cinderella-san! How refreshing!" He crowed and Tohru simply nodded. He planted one hand on his chest, still grinning at her, "Then allow me to be your fairy godmother! My name is Ayame, and, as you can see, I am Yuki's dear older brother!"

"Nice you meet you, Ayame-san..."

"Likewise," He bowed gracefully, "Now then...let's see if we can find something that captures your essence. Something that will have the room light up when you enter!"

"Okay!" Tohru smiled brightly. His enthusiasm was certainly contagious. "But why can't I just go in what I'm wearing?"

Tohru looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a floor-length, tan skirt and a button up white shirt. She thought that she looked quite nice and she didn't want Ayame to have to waste his money on her if he didn't have to.

"Impossible! Your fairy godmother will not allow it. You must-"

"Nii-san!" Yuki's outraged shouting came from the back of the store. He stomped up to the front and stopped beside his older brother. Now that they were standing side by side, Tohru could really see the resemblance. Yuki cooled down a little but was still glaring at Ayame, "I told you not to frighten her! You need to slow down."

"I wasn't frightened. Your brother is really nice."

"Of course I am!" Ayame's finger swirled through the air and he poked Yuki on the nose, "You have nothing to worry about, little brother. Your friend is in very capable hands. We'll find something that is the picture of innocence and purity. It will be nothing short of perfection!"

And with that, he was off. He darted around the store from shelf to shelf, rummaging through piles of clothes. Tohru had a hard time keeping up with him. She looked up when she heard a dejected sigh from beside her.

"See what I meant?" Yuki muttered.

"He's having fun." Tohru watched him grab something blue and hang it on his arm.

He returned moments later, his arms ready to burst from carrying all of the clothes. He hung them up on a hanger near the group and began to sort through them. At least he seemed to know what he was doing. Tohru was confident in whatever he would pick. When he was done organizing, Aya turned back to the teenagers, his arm outstretched to present his work, "There you have it! I have dresses, skirts, shirts, blouses, the list goes on. I believe that we shall find the perfect outfit for our Cinderella-san. No matter what I pick, she can't go wrong, for her beauty will be projected no matter what she was wearing."

"Thank you," Tohru smiled awkwardly. She was pretty sure that he was complementing her, but his language could be somewhat confusing.

Ayame pulled some of the clothes out, shoved them into Tohru's arms, and whisked her off to the dressing rooms.

He waited beside Yuki, occasionally looking down at his brother. "She must be a very good friend of yours."

Yuki shot his brother a death-glare, "What are you implying, nii-san?"

"Oh, nothing." Ayame whistled, looking up at the ceiling.

"It's not like what you're thinking," Yuki's glare softened. "But she really is a good friend. Kyo's an idiot if he doesn't forgive her...well he's still a moron either way."

Ayame smiled, patting his brother on the head, "You're doing a really good thing, Yuki."

Yuki rolled his eyes and looked up at his brother, "So are you. I wouldn't be able to do this without your help."

Ayame beamed at his praise, "Of course, little brother! But the real prize is being able to get to know you better! Wait until I tell Tori-san about our breakthrough at the party tomorrow!"

Yuki sighed.

"Um...I really like this one," A shy voice called from over by the dressing rooms. Tohru had emerged, fully dressed in one of Ayame's creations.

The dress was a sky blue color. It had flouncy sleeves that streamed out from a deep v-neck cut. The cut wasn't so deep that you saw anything, but it was still low. At the bottom of the knee-length dress was some intricate, dark-blue flower details. The flowers floated up, fading into the sky-blue background.

"Fabulous! I've done it again!" Ayame rushed over to her, examining his work of art. "I have indeed created a modern Cinderella-san. All we need to do is fix your hair up a bit and add some makeup and you'll be perfect!"

"Thank you, Ayame-san. It really is lovely," Tohru twirled around, admiring the way the fabric spun around her form.

"That's what fairy-god mothers are for!" Aya was still grinning from ear-to-ear over his success.

"Well, then," Yuki appeared behind her, "we'll see you at 7 o'clock tomorrow, Honda-san."

--

Tohru stood outside of the gates of the Sohma estate. She stared at the familiar fence, her eyes tracing the path that led to the huge house. Her breath was coming out in ragged gasps, so she was trying to calm herself before going inside. Once her heart had stopped jumping into her throat, she smoothed her dress out and pushed through the gates. She wobbled down the path as fast as she could, which wasn't very fast because she was wearing high heeled shoes.

After nearly stumbling over three times, she reached the porch. She clutched the railing and pulled herself up the steps. Then she hobbled over to the door and knocked on it twice, praying that Kyo wouldn't be the one to answer it. Tohru held her breath as the door creaked open, and she exhaled when she saw who it was.

A head of bright blonde hair poked out, followed by excited butterscotch eyes. Tohru breathed a sigh of relief and smiled politely, "Momiji-kun!"

"Hey, Tohru! I didn't know that you were coming!" He smiled back and opened the door. Tohru guessed that Yuki hadn't told anyone that she would be showing up. She thanked Momiji for holding the door open and stepped inside the house.

"Everyone's in the other room. Come on, this way!" The blonde boy grabbed her hand and led her through the halls of the house. Tohru could hear loud music and the sound of people talking in the other room. She supposed that was where the party was being held. Momiji burst into the room and pulled her along behind him.

"Honda-san!"

Tohru heard Yuki's voice over the sea of chatter. She could see him making his way through the crowd, towards her and Momiji. "Glad you could make it."

Tohru felt Momiji let go of her hand, and she watched him vanish into the crowd. She turned back to Yuki, her voice thick with anxiety, "Where is he?"

"Easy, calm down. We'll get to that in a minute." Yuki tried to calm her down, by placing a hand on her shoulder.

Tohru eventually relaxed. Yuki was right, if she rushed into it now, she would be to nervous and might say the wrong thing. She would find Kyo later.

She allowed her eyes to scan over the tiny groups of people scattered throughout the room. Each face was more beautiful then the last. She recognized a few people like, Kagura and Hatsuharu, but most of the faces were foreign to her. She assumed that they were all family members or friends of the family.

She noticed that their was a girl plastered to Haru's side, their fingers interlocked. She had long, black hair and was wearing a short purple dress. Tohru also saw Shigure standing beside the couple and another man next to him. He was about as tall as Shigure and had dark green hair. One side of his bangs were so long that they covered nearly half of his handsome face. A cigarette dangled from his lips.

"That's Hatori and the girl is Isuzu, but everyone calls her Rin." Yuki's voice startled her and she jumped a little.

"Oh..." Tohru whispered in awe, her eyes drifting through the rest of the crowd. She saw Momiji talking with two younger kids, one boy and one girl. The girl had short auburn hair and eyes that matched. She was wearing a cute little yellow dress and looked painfully shy. She clung to the boy beside her, who look annoyed about something. He had messy light brown hair and dark eyes. He would occasionally glance at the girl and blush.

"The boy is Hiro and the girl is Kisa," Yuki explained again, his arms folded across his chest. He knew who Tohru was really looking for.

Tohru finished looking at every single face, and not one single person was the one she was searching for. Seeing all of these people, especially couples holding hands or exchanging quick glances, made her heart throb. She was ready to find Kyo and fix this. She turned to Yuki, a determined look in her eye, "Can I see him now? I think I'm ready."

"Well, if you say so." Yuki answered. "He's up on the roof."

"T-the roof?!" Tohru exclaimed. How was she supposed to talk to him if he was all the way up there?

Yuki chuckled at her reaction, "Yes. That's where he's been most of the time these past few days. He goes up there when he's in a bad mood or wants to think things over. I think he went up there tonight to avoid Kagura."

"All right," Tohru breathed, when she remembered she'd seen Kyo up there on her last day. She dashed out of the room as fast as her feet would carry her.

She stepped out onto the porch, leaving the blaring music and laughter behind her. She fixed her dress and smoothed out her perfectly straight hair, which had a few strands pulled back and secured by a dark blue ribbon. She descended the porch steps and stopped right at the foot of them, staring up.

The sky was dark, a mixture of blues, blacks, and purples and was highlighted by a few creamy white stars and one round, white moon. Her chocolate eyes slowly fell on the roof of the estate and the familiar form that was perched on top of it. She tried to think of a way to get up there, but she didn't see any kind of ladder. She would have to get his attention.

She cleared her throat and called out, "S-sohma-kun?"

There was no reply or motion from his figure on the roof.

She tried again, "Sohma-kun!"

Still nothing.

Tohru's shoulders slumped, but she perked up when she thought of one last way to reach him. She inhaled, holding her breath for a moment before shouting as loud as she possibly could, "KYO-KUN!"

The outline on the roof shifted, sitting up. He crawled over to the edge of the roof, looking around for the source of the noise. Whatever it had been, it sounded very familiar and almost inviting to him. He froze when his gaze landed on the petite girl standing below him.

Kyo had never seen her fully made up before and she looked adorable. Her blue dress looked great against her skin tone, making her look like she was glowing. It also helped that the moon illuminated her features quite nicely. Her eye lids were covered with some sort of smokey color and her cheeks were pinker then usual. Kyo couldn't believe his eyes, so he blinked to make sure he wasn't dreaming, but she was still there when he opened his eyes.

She called out to him again, and hearing her say his name for the second time made him flush. He could feel his heart crashing repeatedly against his ribcage as he watched her. She was waiting for him to answer her, but he had no idea what to say.

It was funny that he was so tongue-tied, because he had pictured this event in his head for the last two weeks. She would magically show up on their doorstep and walk back into his life just like she did before. They would be together again. Things would go back to the way they were, which had its ups and downs. He would get to be near her again, but he would also have to work to suppress his feelings towards her. Now that it was really happening, all the rehearsed lines he had come up with vanished from his mind. He didn't know whether to be ecstatic that she was here or if he should be upset. A sane person would be upset. She left him when he needed her so badly. But she didn't know how badly he needed her around so that really wasn't an excuse.

Kyo decided to at least see what she wanted, even if that meant ripping open wounds that were just starting to sew themselves shut. He motioned towards a tall tree next to the house. Tohru's wide eyes followed his finger and she nodded when she understood what she meant. She walked over to the tree, gazing up at it's tall form and gulping. How was she going to climb up there?

She felt a little relieved when Kyo started to descend it's branches. He was coming down to meet her instead. With every step he took, Tohru could feel her nerves getting worse. She started fidgeting, playing with the hem of her dress and chewing on her bottom lip. By the time Kyo reached the bottom of the tree, Tohru wasn't sure of what she had planned to say to him.

"Hey," He said, jumping down from a lower branch. He landed on two feet and stood up, merely inches from her. Tohru felt her cheeks burn when she looked at him. He was dressed nicely for the party, just like everyone else. He was wearing a pair of black dress pants and a white button up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows.

"H-hey," She replied, looking away so he couldn't see her blush.

Kyo shoved his hands into his pockets, trying not to turn as red as she was. She looked even prettier up close. He was making a futile attempt to not stare at her, especially at her lips, which were covered with some sort of sparkly gloss. He tried to think of something to say to her that didn't sound stupid, but he ended up saying the first thing that popped into his head, "What are you doing here?"

Tohru could hear the pounding of her heart in her ears and she gulped, "I-I wanted to talk to you. Can I?"

"I guess," He answered, trying to sound indifferent. If she was going to end up leaving again, he didn't want her to think he was still upset over it.

"Maybe we could go for a walk?" Tohru suggested, feeling her courage rising.

Kyo nodded and started walking on the path that led to the woods. She stumbled after him, and eventually fell into stride with the taller boy. She was quiet at first, unsure of how to start things off, but this did remind her of when they walked back to her house to retrieve her things. She hoped that it would end the same way.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked, his voice still sounding detached.

"Well..." Tohru placed a slender finger on her chin thoughtfully, "I wanted to apologize..."

"For what?" Kyo couldn't stop himself from looking at her. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Tohru stopped in her tracks when he said that and Kyo turned around. He saw her fingers curl into fists, "Yes I did! Stop acting like you're not upset, Sohma-kun. You should be furious with me after what I did to you. I'm so sorry...I'll understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore, but I had to do it! I had to leave...I wouldn't have if I would've known about your situation..."

Kyo gawked at her, his jaw hanging open slightly. "I _was_ upset, but I'm...I'm over it now, Tohru."

_Liar._ He thought with a tiny sneer.

"Y-you are?" Tohru lifted her head up, her chest heaving up and down. Did this mean that he was past their friendship now?

He nodded gravely, trying his hardest to keep a straight face.

Tohru's knees wobbled, "Then...I'm glad you're feeling better. Sohma-kun said you were having a hard time with it. I honestly didn't think that I meant that much to you, especially when I thought you were engaged." She managed a smile when she mentioned the last part. "But I'm happy for you. I just wish I could let go that easily."

Seeing the look on her face cracked his hold on his emotions. Kyo took a step towards her. He couldn't hold it anymore, "I don't feel any better. I'm not _completely _over it."

Tohru watched him turn his back to her, his muscles rippling under his white shirt. She thought he was going to punch something, so she took a step back. But he didn't and he slowly rolled his shoulders, took a few deep breathes, and calmed himself down. He turned around to face her, his eyes tight, "You said you knew about my situation? What did you mean by that?"

"Um...Sohma-kun told me that you have a hard time trusting people because of something from your past."

"My parents," Kyo sighed heavily, his shoulders drooping. "I guess I should tell you, huh? When I was younger, I stayed inside mostly. I never really wanted to be inside, but my mother seemed to like the company. My father was always away on business." He snorted when he said that last part, "I think my mom thought otherwise. Anyway, while my father was away, she got really sick. Nobody knew what was wrong with her, so she ended up passing away."

Tohru wanted to placed a hand on his shoulder, or comfort him in some way, but she forced herself to stand still.

"She was the person I was closest to, so having her taken away from me..." He paused, unsure of what to say. "When my dad found out, he blamed me. He said I was the one who made her sick. In just a matter of hours, I had lost the two most important people to me. After that, I promised myself that I wouldn't get close to anyone. That way, I couldn't get hurt like that again..."

She couldn't sit still anymore. Tohru walked over to him, reached out, and gently took his hand in hers. She whispered, "I lost both my parents too..."

Kyo gently squeezed her hand, "Sorry."

Tohru bit her bottom lip, debating on what to say. She opted to lean against him instead, causing his cheeks to turn bright red. He was thankful that she wasn't looking at his face. Tohru's fingers slipped from his and her arm wrapped around his, "But you ended up getting close to me and then I left, just like your parents did. I'm sorry, Sohma-kun."

Kyo could feel his arm tingling beneath her grasp. His blush intensified and he could barely get his words out, "But you came back at least."

Tohru pulled away, much to his dismay, "I couldn't leave things the way they were. I really didn't even want to leave in the first place, but-"

She stopped, her cheeks becoming sprinkled with a pinkish-red color. Kyo raised an eyebrow at her, "But what?"

"But I c-couldn't stand seeing you and Kagura like that..." She hurriedly tried to explain herself, "I thought you two were engaged but then Sohma-kun told me that you weren't and I felt silly so I-"

"Wait, wait...you thought that Kagura and I were engaged?" Kyo asked skeptically and tried his best not to burst out laughing. "You mean you didn't see me trying to get the hell away from her the whole time?"

Tohru shook her head, focusing on her shoes instead of his face. "N-no, I was trying to not look at you guys."

"And that's why you quit?" Kyo placed a hand on her head, causing her to glance up at him. She looked and felt like she was going to die of embarrassment.

"Y-yes. Sorry." She mumbled, wanting to just bury her face in his chest so he couldn't see her.

"So that means that you were..." He paused for effect, "jealous?"

Tohru squeaked out a yes and let her head fall against his chest. She latched onto his shirt and angled her head so Kyo couldn't see her face. He didn't know how to react at first so he just let her hang on him, but after a moment, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "You really can be silly sometimes, Tohru."

"So you forgive me? I'm so sorry..." She murmured into his chest.

Kyo pulled her closer to him, "Yes... As long as you stop apologizing and come back to work for us."

"Okay, Sohma-kun..." She sighed happily, inhaling his sweet scent. He smelled like a mixture of earthy things. Tohru liked it, so she cuddled even closer to him. Kyo rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, his cheeks reddening.

"Oh, one more thing," He said, and she pulled away to look at his face. He had a tiny smirk on his lips. Tohru could feel him beginning to press his body against hers, forcing her backwards. She stopped moving when she felt something solid against her back. She glanced over her shoulder and was greeted by the bark of a tree. She turned back, her cheeks glowing an odd shade of pink. Kyo had his arm propped up against the tree, pinning her against it. He leaned down closer to her face. Tohru could feel his hot breath on her neck and ear, "I told you I like being called Kyo. No more 'Sohma-kun'."

Tohru was starting to lose the feeling in her knees. The way his voice sounded in her ears made her weak, "O-okay, K-kyo-kun..."

"Good." He replied pulling away ever so slightly, but still keeping his face close to hers.

He leaned down again, this time brushing his lips very lightly against hers. He heard a sharp intake of breath and paused, waiting to see how she would react to his kiss. Tohru waited for a moment, their lips still touching, before she leaned into his kiss. That was all the sign that he needed and his lips captured her tiny mouth. She tasted sweeter then anything he had ever tasted before, better then any candy.

His hands slid down from their resting spot on the tree, twisted through her brown locks, and then stopped to cup her cheeks and deepen the kiss. Tohru's lifted her hands up and they glided across his shoulders, opting to rest on his chest. She could feel his heart pounding underneath her fingertips. Kyo released her face, grabbing her hips instead, and pulled her body against his.

He could feel himself getting dizzy and lightheaded. He wasn't sure if it was from the kiss or from a lack of air, so Kyo slowly pulled back, planting one tiny kiss on her swollen lips before standing up straight. He watched her, drinking in her frazzled expression. He leaned back against the tree, "You okay, Tohru?"

Tohru's face was beet red, "I t-think so..."

"Are you sure? I won't do it again if you don't want me to," He prompted.

Tohru's previous look was immediately replaced by a worried one. She grabbed onto his shirt, "No! I um..."

She blushed again when she realized that she may have spoken too soon. Kyo chuckled and ruffled her hair. There really was no turning back at this point. No matter how much he wanted to protect his own feelings, he couldn't do it if it meant hurting hers. He wanted to be with her, no matter what anyone said. There was just one thing left to do.

Kyo cupped her cheek with his free hand and whispered, "All right, but only because you want me to, Tohru."

"That's...I..." She placed her hand over the one on her cheek. "If it makes Kyo-kun happy, then okay."

Kyo's face flushed and he smiled gently, "I love you, Tohru."

He brushed her bangs back and kissed her forehead. Tohru giggled lightly, "I love you too, Kyo-kun."

"Then marry me."

"Huh?" Tohru blurted out. She wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly.

"Marry me," He repeated, this time trying to sound a bit more clear.

Tohru's brown eyes grew wide when he declared it a second time. She leaned back against the tree, so she wouldn't collapse, "Y-yes...but are you sure? I thought-"

Kyo pressed a finger to her parted lips, causing her cheeks to tinge. He shook his head, "If I wasn't sure then I wouldn't have asked. Believe me I'm scared about letting someone in...but I trust you, Tohru. What you did before wasn't really your fault. You didn't know, and I know that if you did, you wouldn't have left."

"But how would this work? You're... you're like a prince and I'm...I'm just me." Tohru wasn't sure how to adequately describe it.

He frowned, "You make it sound like there's something wrong with you."

"I'm not rich like you. Won't your family-"

"I don't care what my family says. We can leave if we have to," A wicked grin spread across his face, "Besides, Cinderella was poor and she ended up with the prince, right?"

"Well, then-" Tohru replied thoughtfully.

"Then you'll marry me?" He asked again, gently squeezing her hand.

"Yes," Tohru beamed at him, a pink flush spreading across her cheeks, "I'll marry you."

((End of Kyoko's Story))

* * *

"...And they all lived happily ever after!" Kyoko grinned at her two flabbergasted parents. They were all seated around the breakfast table as Kyoko finished up the rest of her fairy-tale. She flashed them a strange look, "What? You didn't like my story?"

Kyo's jaw slowly closed and whispered in his wife's ear, "No more princess story books."

((End of Chapter Five))

* * *

YAAAY! I finished my uber cheesy fairy-tale! It's amazing what the imagination of an 18 year old trapped in a four year olds body can come up with. That really was a just a bit out of character (no four year old is that mature) but I didn't really think about that until just now. Oh well.

If you guys review as quickly as you did before, that means a speedy update. Now, it won't be as fast, because I don't have the whole chapter mapped out, but I'll get on it ASAP. I'd like to get to at least 55 reviews before the next chapter. Expect to see some new characters popping up next time (Yuki and Machi) :D


	6. Important

Note: WOW! 18 reviews for chapter 5. That's the most I've gotten for this story so far, so thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review for chapter 5! I'm sorry for the slow update, but I really wanted to finish my other oneshot before I started chapter 6.

Replies: I won't be replying to every review, only certain ones. Please don't be upset if I didn't respond to yours, but these were reviews that I felt needed responding to.

_tohruhonda10: _Thank you and I would be happy to help you with story ideas!

_LilyRedHead:_ I can see Shigure doing that. I wonder what he's telling her when mommy and daddy aren't around? Thank you, I'm glad that you thought it was cute!

_mimie-roo:_ Thank you for the review! I redefined awesome? XD I only wish I was that cool.

_remedysmind:_ I know...I forgot that a four year old was telling it when I was writing it. Then I reread it and was like, "Oops." XD But I didn't think anyone would really care. Thanks for the review!

_Kyonkichi-san:_ THANK YOU! :D I am thrilled to be your favorite author and that you love the story and the chapter so much!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

* * *

How I Met Your Mother  
_Chapter Six: Important_

It was an unusually busy Friday morning in the Sohma household. Kyo had taken the day off so that he could go with Tohru and Kyoko to visit Yuki. The family was running around trying to get ready so they could leave.

Tohru was in Kyoko's room, pulling clothes out of the dresser and the closet. Kyoko was standing beside her, offering her opinion on what her mother was picking out.

"What about this one?" Tohru pulled out a tiny pink dress with lots of ruffles.

Kyoko shook her head, "It's too girly. How am I supposed to play in that?"

Tohru felt a bead of sweat role down the back of her head. She found it a bit ironic that someone who was as interested in romance as Kyoko, would reject an outfit because it was 'too girly'. But that was just Kyo's genes shining through. Tohru knew her husband preferred clothes that were simple and easy to move around in, so she guessed her daughter felt the same way.

Tohru rummaged through the closet, searching for another dress. Kyoko tugged on her mother's skirt, "Why do I have to get all dressed up? Uncle Yuki and Aunt Machi don't care..."

Her mother's head poked out of the closet, a sheepish smile plastered on her face, "Don't you want to look nice for Daisuke?"

Kyoko pouted a little, her tiny arms folding across her chest. Daisuke was Yuki and Machi's son. He was a year younger then Kyoko, and just like her, he was mature for his age. Kyoko uncrossed her arms and whined, "Do I _have _to?"

Tohru didn't miss the opportunity and quickly answered, "Yes, you do."

"Fine." Kyoko huffed and Tohru beamed, returning to her search.

She pulled out a pale yellow tank dress, which had a bows on the straps. She handed it to her daughter and helped her put it on. Once Kyoko was fully dressed, Tohru pulled her daughter's short hair into two little pigtails.

"You look so cute, Kyoko-chan!" Tohru cooed, pulled lightly on one of her pigtails.

"Let me see," A deeper voice said from the doorway. Tohru and Kyoko looked up to see Kyo leaning into the room. Kyoko tried unsuccessfully to hide behind her mother. Her father chuckled and walked into the room.

He wrapped an arm around his wife's slender waist, peering over her shoulder and down at his daughter, "What's wrong, Kyoko?"

"I look like a girl." She muttered into her mother's legs and Kyo laughed. He patted her head. Kyo released his hold on Tohru and hoisted Kyoko up into his arms.

He turned back to Tohru, "Are you ready?"

"Mhm," Tohru smiled, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ears. "Let's go."

--

Tohru looked down at the tiny slip of paper in her hands. Yuki's address was scribbled on it in messy handwriting. She looked over at Kyo, who was standing beside her and holding Kyoko, "I think this is the place, Kyo-kun."

She reached up tentatively and knocked on the door twice. After a moment, when nobody answered the door, Kyoko began to struggle in Kyo's arms. She managed to jump down and started banging on the door, "Uncle Yuki! We're here!"

Tohru snatched her up, shushing her. Kyo sighed and rubbed his forehead. Kyoko glared at the door, a tiny pout on her lips, "Well, we've been waiting!"

"I know but-" Tohru's chiding was cut off by the sound of the door opening.

Machi stood in the doorway, wiping her hands on a towel. She was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a plain green t-shirt. Her hair had been pulled back into a half ponytail. Tohru thought that she look tired, but Machi smiled at them anyway, "Hello..."

Machi's smile quickly faded and Kyo muttered something about how she hadn't changed much. Tohru smiled awkwardly, inwardly agreeing that Yuki's wife was still quiet like she used to be.

Machi stepped to the side, allowing the three of them into her house. They followed her through a tiny hallway. Tohru's eyes wandered as they went. There was a small set of stairs near the front door. Further down the hall were some doors, and at the end was a large archway. They walked under the arch and into what Tohru and Kyo guessed was the living room. Tohru let out a small gasp when they entered.

The room was a complete disaster, a mess. There were toys piled high in one corner of the room, and more scattered about on the floor, allowing only a bit of the light wood floor to poke through. A table sat in the middle of the room, covered with silverware. Tohru was relieved that the bowls and plates at least looked clean. A bunch of blue and green pillows surrounded the table.

"What the hell _is_ all this?" Kyo muttered, setting his daughter down on an empty space on the floor. Kyoko kicked the toys with her feet.

"Sorry," Machi grumbled under her breath.

Tohru's eyes roved over the messy room until they landed on a doorway. She smiled when her eyes locked with who was standing in it.

"Yuki-kun!" She beamed, making her way through the toy jungle and over to her friend.

Yuki was standing in the entrance way, a smile on his handsome face. Like, Kyo he hadn't really changed much over the years. His gray hair was a little longer then it was in their high school days, and Tohru thought that he looked more and more like Ayame, but she didn't dare tell Yuki that.

"Nice to see you, Tohru..." He still said her name somewhat awkwardly. He wasn't used to calling her by her first name, but after she got married, he didn't have much choice. He couldn't exactly call her 'Honda-san' anymore.

"You too," She chirped, finally making her way through the sea of toys and over to his side. It was when she stopped that she noticed someone standing beside Yuki.

Daisuke stood next to his father, hiding slightly behind his legs. He poked his head out to the side, revealing large violet eyes that were concealed by thick, dark lashes. He smiled shyly at Tohru, who patted him on the head, rubbing his thick, messy, gray-brown locks of hair.

"Daisuke-kun, you've gotten taller," She said cheerfully. She thought that he looked just like his father, like a beautiful prince, and all the girls would be swooning over him in a few years.

And just like his father, he was very shy and quiet. Yuki had once told Tohru that he had trouble making friends and that the only person he thought Daisuke was comfortable with was Kyoko.

"So..." Kyo trailed off, his crimson eyes roving around the room. "Can we sit down or what?"

"Of course," Yuki replied, his teeth grit because of Kyo's rudeness. He cleared a path with his feet, and directed them to the table. Everyone plopped down around it, Kyoko and Daisuke sitting in their fathers' laps.

"I didn't really get a good chance to talk to you last time, Tohru. What's new?" Yuki asked politely, his hand resting on his son's head. Daisuke didn't seem to notice; he was too focused on Kyoko.

"Mommy and Daddy have been telling me fun stories," Kyoko interjected in a matter-of-fact tone. "I even made up one to tell them."

Kyo grimaced and Tohru laughed lightly. Kyoko looked at her mother with confused eyes, but her attention swung back around when Daisuke finally spoke, "What kind of stories?"

"You wouldn't get it..." The little girl answered calmly, "It's like Cinderella-san and her prince."

"I would get it," Daisuke challenged, but his voice was only a whisper. "Do _you _get it?"

"Yeah!" Kyoko stuck her tongue out at him.

Yuki watched the exchange with raised eyebrows, and then he looked at Tohru, "Which stories? Like fairy-tales?"

Tohru scratched the back of her neck, "Um...I guess you could call them that. They were about when Kyo and I were younger. Some of them were kind of embarrassing, so I really don't think-"

"Embarrassing? Then I take it you told her about the karate incident?" Yuki asked, cracking a smile.

"No!" Tohru blurted out, but it was too late.

"What?" Kyoko's head snapped over to Yuki, a smile lighting up her adorable face. "Tell me, Uncle Yuki! Please?"

Kyo glared at the former rat, while Tohru let out a shaky laugh. Yuki flashed Kyoko's parents an apologetic look, but began anyway.

"Well, one day..."

* * *

((Flashback))

Tohru stood out on the back porch, a light afternoon breeze ruffling her long hair and clothes. She sighed, closing her eyes and let the breeze caress her face. She heard a grunt, followed by a loud exhale, and her eyes flew open. They quickly darted over to the direction of the noise, and widened when they landed on the source.

Kyo was training, and unintentionally mesmerizing Tohru, but that always happened when she watched him. He truly had no idea how much he mystified her.

He turned to the side, one of his legs lifting up into the air and falling down in a swift motion. He mimicked the movement with his other leg and followed that with two swift punches.

Tohru stared, watching beads of sweat trickle down his forehead. She gazed at his muscles that flexed every time he moved. When he finally glanced up, panting slightly, she looked away to conceal her pink cheeks.

_I wish I could do that..._ She thought, the heat on her face spreading.

"Tohru?" Kyo breathed. He was still winded.

Tohru peeked up from under her long, brunette bangs, "Y-yes? Do you need something, Kyo-kun? I could get you some water..."

Anything to get out of there.

Kyo scratched his chin for a brief second and then nodded. Tohru quickly turned on her heel, scampering off to the kitchen. She reached for the first glass she saw, turned on the faucet and stuck it under. When the glass was nearly full, she yanked it out and shut the water off.

Tohru made her way out to the back, moving a little slower this time to prevent spilling that water. Kyo looked relieved when she returned and plopped down in the grass. She reached down, handing the water to him. He took it and drank it in three gulps.

"Sit down," He offered when he had finished off the glass.

Tohru tentatively eyed the spot he was patting and then slowly sat down beside him. He smirked a little behind the glass, "You okay? You look like you're going to pass out..."

"I'm all right," Tohru answered, though her voice was shaky. "I was just watching you practice and I was... impressed."

_Probably not a good idea to tell him I was AMAZED..._ She thought, shaking her head.

"Thanks," A crooked grin spread across his face and Tohru's cheeks turned a very light shade of pink. She tucked a few stray pieces of hair behind her ear and then folded her hands in her lap.

Kyo leaned back, his knees propped up. He closed his eyes and allowed the sun to warm up his face. Tohru scooted closer to him, her blush deepening when her fingers brushed up against the side of his hand, "A-are you done training?"

"For now," Kyo answered without opening his eyes. "Why?"

"Well I um... like watching." She mumbled, her head dipping down. "It's fun."

Another smile appeared on his face, "I didn't know that. It never seemed like something that would appeal to you. I didn't think you could like something that involved fighting..."

"W-well..." Tohru frowned, drawing her knees up to her chest.

Truth be told, she _didn't_ really like anything that related to fighting. However, if it was something that could bring her closer to Kyo, she would try it. She would do whatever she could to be closer to him and learn more about him. They only had so much more time together...

Tohru shook her head, trying desperately not to think about that. She couldn't think about that. Not now.

"Well what?" Kyo asked, rolling over on his side, so he was facing her.

"I thought I showed you some of my moves already? Remember when Kagura came and we were up on the roof? I thought my punch was pretty good and you even taught me more..."

Kyo laughed, his fingertips sweeping across the back of her hand, "How the hell could I forget that punch?"

"I thought it was good," She repeated, her head still bowed.

"Tell you what," Kyo said suddenly and sat upright. This caused her to perk up, staring at him instead of the grass beneath them. Kyo continued, "I'm supposed to go to Kazuma's dojo later to keep practicing. Wanna go with me?"

"Sure!" Tohru beamed trying to conceal the pounding of her heart.

--

"Where is everyone, Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked tentatively.

Kyo glanced over his shoulder and back at the petite girl, "Out back. That's where we hold most of the practices. You'll see."

They were standing in the front of Kazuma's dojo, Tohru somewhat hesitant. She had never been to martial arts practice before, and she certainly didn't want to intrude. So she lagged behind Kyo, always staying one step behind him.

She loped along behind him as they made their way around the building and towards the backyard. Kyo opened up the entrance in the high fence and Tohru let out a tiny gasp when her she saw what was behind the gate.

Tohru had seen Kazuma's yard before, but never like this.

The yard was completely barren, and when she said completely, she meant it. There was nothing but dirt, except for a few patches of olive green grass sprouting up in patches. There were also a few sapling scattered about the yard, but other then that, the yard was an odd shade of brown and tan. But that's probably what made them stand out so much.

Standing in the center of the yard was a group of about twenty kids. Tohru guess that their ages ranged from about 12 to maybe 18 and there was an equal mix of boys and girls. They were all dressed in identical white robes and cropped, loose, black pants. Around each ones midsection was a tied belt. She noticed that the belts ranged in colors; there were some red, some yellow, and even some black belts. The group formed two even, straight rows and focused their attention on someone standing in front of them.

"Kazuma-san!" Tohru beamed when her eyes landed on Kyo's surrogate father. Everyone's attention was momentarily diverted from their training and they all simultaneously glanced over to Kyo and Tohru. This made Kyo blush.

Kazuma simply smiled back, his short white hair swaying in the breeze. He waved to the duo, inviting them over to join the group.

Tohru flashed Kyo a questioning look, and the red-head simply nodded. Tohru fidgeted still unsure if it was right to interrupt. Kyo sighed, losing the rest of what little patience he had, and grabbed her hand. He led her over to the group, stopping in front of his shishou.

"Honda-san," Kazuma greeted, bowing formally. "How have you been?"

Tohru quickly ducked down, bowing in response, "G-good!"

She blushed when she noticed a few of the students stop their training so they could stare at the newcomers. Tohru straightened up, averting the group's questioning gaze. Kyo saw her embarrassed flush and moved to block her from everyone's view.

"What the hell are you staring at?" He snarled under his breath, and the students immediately went back to work.

Kazuma waved him off, chuckling lightly, "Don't mind him, everyone. Now, I'm sure you've seen her around here before, but I've never formally introduced her. She is a good friend of Kyo's, so please treat her with the same respect. This is Tohru Honda."

Tohru's blush darkened when Kazuma mentioned that she was a good friend of Kyo's, but she managed to smile at the students. A few of them waved back and some of them smiled at her.

"So what brings you here, Honda-san?" Kazuma asked, his arms folded across his chest.

"Kyo-kun said he had to come train today and he invited me to come too," Tohru explained, occasionally glancing at the still curious group of students.

"How nice," Kazuma's smile grew and Kyo turned his back on them so that nobody could see his red-face. Kazuma glanced back at the group of students, "Just let me finish up this lesson and I'll be right with you."

"Sure," Kyo said hastily, grabbed Tohru's hand, and stomped off before he could get embarrassed any more. He led her around the side of the house. Once he felt they were safely out of earshot, he released her hand.

"What do you want to do until they're finished, Kyo-kun?"

"I don't know," He scratched the back of his neck and then paused, trying to think of a way to entertain her. A grin spread across his face, as if he had just remembered something funny. "How about I teach you some _real_ moves?"

"Huh?" Tohru's chocolate eyes widened, and her mouth fell open slightly.

"I'll teach you some self-defense moves. With all the trouble you get into it couldn't hurt." Kyo explained and her mouth slowly closed when she realized what he meant.

"Okay," She smiled and tried to position her body into what she thought was a fighting-stance. It was hard because she was only working from memory, memories of how Kyo looked when he was training.

Kyo chuckled, "Just wait, I'll show you how to stand. Just be careful not to get to close, okay?"

Tohru blushed and nodded meekly. She had nearly forgotten that if she made one wrong move, then Kyo would turn into his zodiac form. Not to mention he would be royally ticked off at her for turning him into a cat.

Kyo gently grabbed both her wrists and positioned her arms in the correct way, all the while keeping a safe distance from her. He twisted her torso so that her right side was farther away from him.

"Keep your hands up by your face. And always lead with your left hand." He instructed, mimicking the motions a few feet away from her. Tohru repeated what he did, only her punches were much slower and not as hard.

"Good," Kyo said and Tohru relaxed.

_I'll still probably have to keep an eye on her._ He thought, his mouth twisting into a slight frown. _I definately don't want to repeat that little incident from in the hallway at school. Those assholes thought they could pick her up just because she spaced out a little..._

Kyo glanced over at her and sighed when he saw that she was absentmindedly staring up at the sky. He muttered her name and she was jerked from her thoughts.

"Let's try something else," He suggested. "I showed you what to do if someone comes at you from the front, but if they try to grab you from behind..."

He quickly moved behind her, careful not to let his chest touch her back, and lifted up her arms. He slipped his arms underneath hers.

"I can't get any closer." He mmbled, wishing that he was rid of the stupid curse. "But pretend that my arms are around your waist. You just push down on my wrists and try to squat down as much as you can..."

Tohru could barely hear his directions over the sound of her heart. It was thumping madly in her ears, chest and throat. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this close to Kyo.

_FOCUS!_ Her attention snapped back to whatever it was that Kyo had been saying.

"... stomp on their toes. Whatever you can to get them to back off."

She watched her own shaking hands slowly raise into the air, trying desperately to follow his instructions. Her fingers latched onto his wrists, but there wasn't much force behind it. She gently squeezed his arm, her fingers slowly trailing across his hand until their fingers became intertwined.

"Tohru," He whispered shakily, followed by a loud gulp.

Tohru, thinking that she was doing something wrong, immediately released her hold on his hand. She whipped around, apologies streaming from her throat. However, she turned around a little too quickly and caught Kyo off guard.

Their bodies collided and a loud 'poof' drowned out Kyo's string of profanities. Tohru became engulfed in a cloud of orange smoke and in a instant, Kyo was replaced by a tiny, orange cat. When the smoke cleared, Tohru fell to her knees, apologizing even more, "I'm so sorry, Kyo-kun! I shouldn't have turned around! I should've been more careful!"

"It's okay," The cat muttered, his tail curling around his body, "I should've put more distance between us. My mistake."

Tohru wiped her eyes and stood up, dusting the dirt off of her knees. Just as she was about to lean down and pick Kyo up, she heard voices around the corner.

"Shit!" Kyo muttered, scurrying behind Tohru's legs. There were no bushes or anything for him to hide in around here. He could try to make it into the house, but he would probably be spotted by someone. If someone saw him transform back into a human...

"What do I do?" Tohru whispered hoarsely.

"Don't say anything. Maybe they'll leave." Kyo muttered back, but he would have no such luck.

A boy rounded the corner. He appeared to be around their age, maybe a little younger. He was dressed in sweats and had a black gym bag thrown over one shoulder. His dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, that stuck out like a little stub near the nape of his neck.

"Hey, you're that Tohru girl from before, right?" He asked, when his eyes landed on her. Tohru nodded meekly, her fingers balling up into tight fists. Kyo hissed from behind her.

_I have a bad feeling about this..._ The cat thought.

The boy moseyed over, taking his sweet time, until he was mere inches from her. He eyed her suspiciously, stopping at her feet. Tohru watched as his brows slanted forward and his mouth formed a thin line, "What's with the cat?"

"U-um..." Tohru gulped and silently prayed that he would just leave.

She could only watch in horror as the boy squatted down, "That's a strange color. Do you know if it's a stray? Is it yours?"

"N-no..."

"Maybe I'll just take it-"

"NO!" Tohru blurted out, her fists tightening. She couldn't let that happen, no matter what...

The boy straightened up and frowned at her, "Why not? You said it wasn't yours."

"I k-know but-"

"So then, I'll just take it and be on my way. My girlfriend's birthday is coming up-"

Tohru didn't want to hear anymore. She had to do something to make this guy leave. If he stayed, he could see Kyo transform and then the secret of the curse would be let out. Also, if she didn't do something, he would take Kyo away, and she didn't want that either.

Tohru lifted her left hand up, her fist sailing through the air. She couldn't think of anything else to do. Her hand landed with a light thud on the boy's chest and it only took a minute for her to feel a sharp pain course through her fingers. She immediately removed her hand and began to shake it, trying to relieve some of the pain. The boy watched her for a moment, and then burst out laughing, "Did you just try to punch me?"

She whimpered a tiny yes, all while still clutching her bruised hand. The boy chuckled one last time before running his fingers through his hair, "Wow. I guess you REALLY want that cat. Sorry I bothered you."

He laughed again, shook his head, and then left. Tohru could only stare down at her shoes, trying to conceal the redness on her cheeks. However, she lifted her head up when she realized that Kyo wasn't standing behind her anymore, "Kyo-kun? Where are you?"

There was a loud 'poof' and Kyo appeared in the bushes. Tohru quickly turned her head and smacked one hand over her eyes, "S-sorry! I didn't see anything! I promise!"

"It's okay," Kyo muttered, pulling his shirt back on. He walked out of the bushes, fully dressed. "So... what the hell was all that?"

"Huh?" Tohru asked, confused about to what exactly he was referring to.

"You were going to fight him?" Kyo replied skeptically, while buttoning the remaining button on his shirt.

"O-oh..." Tohru stammered, glancing down at her shoes. "Y-yes."

Kyo sighed and placed one hand on her head, ruffling her long brown hair lightly, "I guess I didn't teach you well enough. Maybe you should leave all the fighting to me, kay'?"

She brushed a few stray hairs behind her ear, all while still focusing on her shoes, "Y-you don't have to-"

"Apparently I do. I mention that you can't stay out of trouble and what happens 5 minutes later?" He scoffed, allowing his hand to fall back to his side. He would do whatever he could to make sure she was okay, safe, and happy. "Besides, we can't have you screwing up your hand every time, can we?"

When she realized that she was still cradling her battered hand, Tohru quickly moved it behind her back, in a pathetic attempt to hide it from him. She smiled sheepishly, her cheeks turning an odd shade of pink, "It's okay, Kyo-kun."

But her words didn't convince him. Not one little bit. He brushed past her, carefully taking her left hand in his own. Tohru winced when his fingertips gently brushed over her knuckles, which were red and swollen. He frowned, muttered something about getting back at the guy later, and then looked into her eyes, "That doesn't look okay to me. Come on, let's go get you fixed up."

Before she could answer, he grabbed her good hand and led her to the inside of dojo. She loped along behind him, without muttering a word. A few moments later, they were standing in Kazuma's kitchen, and Kyo was rummaging through the cabinets.

"Where the hell is it..." He mumbled, slamming another door closed. Finally, after opening and closing several doors, he pulled out a clear white case. Tohru watched silently as he popped it open and pulled out a role of bandages and a tube of some unknown substance.

"Sit down." He ordered quietly.

She plopped down on the floor. He twisted the blue cap off the tube, and squirted some of the greenish-colored gel onto his fingers. Kyo sat down across from her and motioned for Tohru to give him her bad hand. She hesitated for a moment before lifting it up. He grabbed it, only this time he held it very loosely, so he wouldn't aggravate her wound. Tohru gazed down at his nimble fingers, astonished at how gentle he was being. He was treating her as if he applied any pressure at all, she would break into a thousand tiny pieces. She tried to find her voice, but found that it was caught up in her throat. So instead of trying to say something to him, she just sat there dumbly and watched him apply the rest of the ointment.

In a matter of seconds, she could feel the ointment beginning to work. Her wound began to feel much cooler and the stinging was fading. After clearing all the congested words out, she found her voice. She squeaked out a tiny, "Thank you Kyo-kun. It feels better already."

Kyo blushed lightly, "S-sure."

He reached for the bandages and began to wrap them around her hand. Once again, Tohru found herself mesmerized by the mere movement of his fingertips. She also couldn't help but notice how nice his fingers felt when they brushed against her bare skin. Maybe that was just an effect of the ointment. They held hands all the time, and Tohru was always faintly aware of the tingling feeling it gave her, but had never been like this before.

This was a thousand times better. Every little movement that his hands made she was hyper-sensitive to. His hands felt rough and calloused, but there was also a warmness and a gentleness to his touch. Like she thought before, maybe the medicine was making her skin extra vulnerable. Maybe it was the fact that were sitting right next to each other and slowly gravitating even closer. Maybe it was just because they were together. Alone.

"There."

His voice tore her from her daydreams and back into reality. Kyo had finished wrapping the bandage around her hand. Tohru held up her hand and turned it over, examining his workmanship. The bandages were wrapped around her fingers and palm in neat little rows, ending at her wrist. She flexed her hand before shyly glancing at the redhead across from her, "T-thank you, Kyo-kun."

Kyo finally noticed the extra color burning on cheeks. Her knees were folded under her body and her hands were now firmly folded in her lap. She was staring at something on the floor, chewing on her bottom lip. How had he not noticed how uncomfortable she looked before? How had he not seen how close they were sitting together?

_Oh...OH CRAP._ He thought, his own face turning a bright shade of red.

"Um..." She whispered shyly

"Y-yeah." He replied bashfully, staring at the ceiling. If he looked at her face, he would've melted right then and there. Why did he have to see how damn cute she looked when she was embarrassed? More importantly, why did he have to turn to mush when she looked like that?

Tohru shifted her weight. Her fingers tapping idly against her thigh. She was already missing the warmth of his hand, so slowly, with her good hand, she reached out and wrapped her hand around his. Her mind flashed back to when he was teaching her before and all she could do was hold his hand.

He reached up with his free hand and cupped her cheek, "Feeling better?"

She nodded weakly and leaned into his hand, ignoring the shivers that ran up and down her spine. He chuckled lightly at her expression, flipping his hand over and allowing the back of it to caress the side of her face, "Just don't turn me into a cat this time, okay?"

She smiled, closing her eyes, "I'll try not to."

"Good-"

"Kyo? Is that you?" Kazuma's deep voice asked from the doorway.

"SHIT!" Kyo cursed, pulling away from her and jumping to his feet. Tohru nearly fell over, but quickly regained her composure and sat up straight. She beamed at Kazuma when he walked into the kitchen, a questioning look on his face.

"What's going on?" He folded his arms across his chest.

"N-nothing!" Kyo stammered, racking his brain for and excuse as to why he and Tohru were _alone _when he should've been with the other students. That's what they had come for in the first place.

Kazuma glanced down Tohru, who was still smiling, and his eyes widened when he saw her wounded hand, "What happened to you, Honda-san?"

Tohru limply held up her hand and said gleefully, "I punched someone."

Kazuma's worried gaze quickly flashed to his son, "Kyo, did you try some-"

"It wasn't like that!" Kyo interjected, blushing furiously. "Some guy tried to pull one over on her, so she punched him in the chest. It didn't work as well as she thought it would and she ended up hurting her hand. I took her in here to fix it up."

His father studied the two of them for a moment before a smile spread across his face, "I can't imagine Honda-san being violent."

"It was actually kind of funny," Kyo mused, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he remembered the scene. "I told her to just let me handle all the fighting from now on."

Tohru jumped to her feet, "I-it wasn't that funny..."

"Well anyway," Kazuma's began, trying to get a frazzled Tohru to settle back down. "If it was taken care of then I guess I'll leave you two alone. If Kyo plans on taking care of you, Honda-san, then there's nothing to worry about. You're in very capable hands and won't have to worry about punching anyone anymore. Especially because you are so important to-"

"Okay! Time to go!" Kyo interrupted and began to push his shishou out of the kitchen. Kazuma quickly waved goodbye to Tohru as he was pushed out the door. Tohru scrambled after him but stopped in the kitchen doorway.

_Because you're so important._

"Tohru, are you coming or what?" Kyo called from outside, not bothering to hide the aggravation in his voice. Tohru smiled to herself before running outside to walk home with her one and only protector.

((End Flashback))

* * *

The ending of Yuki's story was cut off by a fit of giggles.

"Mommy punched someone!" Kyoko laughed, holding her tiny belly.

Tohru smiled sheepishly, while her husband just shook his head. Nobody should be encouraging Kyoko to listen to these awful and embarrassing stories. It would only figure that Yuki would be the one to tell her one of the worst ones.

During the course of the story, Daisuke had moved from his father's lap to his mother's. He now shifted to a more comfortable position, "You shouldn't laugh at your mom. She was just trying to help..."

Kyoko sat up and snapped, "I know that!"

"Okay, okay..." Tohru soothed. "How about you me, Daisuke and his mom go get some more things to eat?"

"Kay'" The two children agreed begrudgingly. Daisuke and Kyoko jumped off their parents' laps and raced each other to the kitchen. Tohru giggled at their behavior and Machi cracked a smile. The two mothers followed the kids through the door into the kitchen.

Kyo watched Tohru's retreating figure and when she was gone he let out a heavy sigh. He let his head fall so that all he could see was his feet.

Yuki picked his cup that was perched near the end of the table, "Something on your mind?"

"Yeah." Kyo muttered.

Yuki took a sip of tea, his brows furrowing. Even after all these years it was still hard to get Kyo to talk about his problems. He guessed that the only one that Kyo really opened up to a lot was his wife. "You mind elaborating?"

Kyo took a deep breath and, without looking up, "I got a phone call this morning. It's nothing that you or I might think is bad, but Tohru..."

Yuki set his cup back down on the table and prodded Kyo to continue. Kyo bit his lip and kept talking, "I've been trying to push it into the back of my head, not think about it, but the story you just told reminded that I still need to tell her. I don't think I can tell her because I know she'll freak out and get all worried."

"Kyo, just tell me what it is." Yuki said, his patience disappearing.

"Well..."

((End of Chapter 6))

* * *

ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER MWHAHAHA!!

The thing that Kyo has to tell her isn't that bad, I promise. :)

Anyway, I am so SORRY that it took me so long to update, but I couldn't seem to get around to finishing this chapter (which is why it probably turned out so rushed and crappy). I just started college, so all my time has gone to hanging out with new friends and homework. I'll try to get a move on the next one. Again, I'm sorry for the wait.

I'd like to get to at least 75 reviews before I update!


	7. Plus

Note: Um... chapter 7! :) I really don't have much to say except thank you for continuing to read/review.

Replies: I won't be replying to every review, only certain ones. Please don't be upset if I didn't respond to yours, but these were reviews that I felt needed responding to.

_animelvr23: _Nobody dies! I promise. And that guy doesn't come back either. It's really not that bad. In fact, I'll give you guys a little hint before the story even starts! Skip down if you don't want to know. Okay here it is: Someone is taking a short "vacation".

_KerushiiSohma:_ I'm glad you like it that much. The kids do know about the curse, but they don't really understand the full extent of it. All they know is that their fathers used to turn into animals. They do not know about all the emotional stuff with Akito.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

* * *

How I Met Your Mother  
_Chapter Seven: Plus_

"Kyo, just tell me what it is." Yuki prodded, his violet eyes brimming with concern over what the redhead could be so worried about. Granted, Kyo got worried over the tiniest thing that might harm Tohru, but he still looked extremenly shaken.

"Well-"

"We're back with the snacks!" Kyoko's tiny voice called from the kitchen doorway. She bounded back into the room and into her father's lap. Daisuke followed her, but was much more reserved. Tohru and Machi were at their heels, both of them holding trays of tiny snacks.

Tohru sat down beside her husband, who managed to flash her a small smile. She began filling her plate with all sorts of delicious foods and started munching quietly on them. Yuki and Machi filled their plates next, while Kyoko and Daisuke would only take one thing at a time. Kyo picked at a few things, still debating on how to go about his predicament. He hated that Yuki kept looking at him, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"That was really good!" Tohru beamed, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "I'm stuffed!"

Kyo was starting crumble under Yuki's intimidating gaze. His quickly turned to his wife, trying to mask his emotions with a smile, "Ready to go?"

Tohru's lips curved into a slight frown. It felt like they had just got there, but Kyo seemed anxious, so she nodded. He rose up off the floor, pulling his daughter up with him and into his arms. Tohru stood up and bowed graciously to her hosts. Yuki and Machi smiled in return, Yuki flashing Kyo a nervous glance before they left.

--

Tohru marched through the open doors and into their empty house, followed by Kyo who was still carrying Kyoko. The little girl had fallen asleep in her father's arms on the way home. Tohru headed into the kitchen.

"I'm gonna' go put her in her bed," Kyo called to her from around the corner.

_And then I'm going to tell Tohru... _He thought with a small sigh.

He placed Kyoko down on the tiny bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Kyo flicked the lights off and slowly closed the door, trying to be careful not to wake her. With another heavy sigh he headed back to the kitchen.

Kyo paused in the doorway, his eyes following Tohru as she moved briskly around the kitchen. She moved gracefully from the fridge and back to the counter, cutting up pieces of food, occasionally popping something into her mouth. He was mesmerized by the way her tiny hips swayed beneath the loose dress she wore.

_Don't get distracted! _His mind scolded and Kyo blinked himself out of his stupor.

He cleared his throat to alert Tohru, who glanced back at the noise. A bright smile illuminated her face as she spun around. "Did Kyoko-chan get to bed okay? She didn't wake up, right?"

"Nope," Kyo replied quietly, watching her as she turned back around to attend to whatever she was making. He shifted across the space between them, peering over her shoulder. "What are you making?"

"Just a snack," Tohru hummed and continued stirring the concoction in front of her.

Her words didn't even enter his brain as he realized just how close he was standing to her. Kyo's hands found her tiny waist, and slowly wrapped around her midsection. Tohru's spoon slipped from her fingertips and fell on the counter with a loud 'clang'.

"K-kyo-kun..." She stammered, her cheeks burning.

Kyo rested his head on top of hers and murmured, "I need to tell you something..."

Tohru adjusted her position, so she was facing him instead, her back pressed up against the counter. His arms tightened her around the waist as he whispered, "I have to leave for a few days."

Kyo kept his head on top of hers, unable to bear seeing what her face looked like. He could feel her fingers latch onto his shirt, "W-what?"

He finally pulled away, searching her confused face. Her mouth was hanging open slightly, her eyes wide with disbelief. He sighed and took her face in his hands, "I have to leave for a karate tournament with the dojo for a few days."

"T-tournament?" Was all she could mutter.

Kyo closed his eyes, his thumb moving up and down her cheek. He knew this was going to be difficult, but he didn't expect it to be this hard.

_I know it's hard enough for her to be away from me for just ONE day... plus her dad died when he was away for work. This was a dumb idea. I should've just told them I can't go and that there'll be other tournaments at home, but it's too late to back out now._

"Yeah, but it's only for like 3 days." He tried to reason, taking her hand in his own and squeezing it gently.

Tohru gulped, slowly regaining her composure. She squeezed his hand back and let her head fall back onto his chest, "I'm sorry. I should be more supportive."

Kyo grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him. He leaned down and planted a kiss on the side of her mouth. He let his lips slide to her ear and sighed, "Figures. I'm leaving and you try to place the blame on yourself. You're allowed to be upset; I knew you would be."

"But if this will help with you're job, I should be happy, right? I just don't know how I'll keep myself busy for the next three days." Tohru whispered against his jaw.

"Me niether," He agreed, planting a row of kisses back down her jaw, seeking out her lips once more. Tohru gasped slightly when his mouth captured hers for what felt like the millionth time. Her eyes slowly fluttered closed and she stood on the tips of her toes, deepening the kiss.

After a moment, she had to break for air. Kyo didn't even bother to lift his head, opting instead to move his kisses to her chin. She sucked in a deep breath, "K-kyo-kun... h-how much time?"

Tohru blushed when she realized that her question wasn't really coherent, so she was surprised when he finally lifted his head up and answered her, "I have to leave at 4."

She strained her neck to peer around him at the clock hanging on the wall. She sighed; it was 3:15.

"Tohru?" Kyo whispered gently against the soft skin of where her jaw and neck met.

"You have to leave soon," She mumbled, trying to choke back the wave of emotions threatening to rise up out of her. She didn't want to Kyo to see her become an emotional wreck.

Kyo forced himself to tear away from her an look at the clock. She was right, it was nearly time for him to leave. He cursed under his breath, whipping around to give his wife one final kiss. Tohru didn't waste any time and eagerly pressed herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He was the first one to break the kiss. He pulled away slowly, giving her bottom lip one final tug with his teeth. They unwillingly untangled themselves, Kyo hurrying off to pack his things, and Tohru going back to trying to corral her emotions by distracting herself with food.

Four came sooner than either of them wanted. Tohru stood waiting by the door, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Kyo appeared moments later, a duffle bag in one hand. He forced a smile, closing the distance between him and his wife. He dropped the bag, using his newly freed hand to stroke her cheek. Tohru leaned into his hand and let out a small sigh.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Kyo asked. He really did feel stupid making such a big deal out of a simple 3-day trip, but the look on her face made him not really care how dumb it was.

"Mhm," Tohru answered. "Just please be careful. Call me as much as you can and if you get sick-"

Kyo chuckled lightly, pressing his finger to her lips, "I'll be fine. Where's Kyoko?"

"Right here, daddy!" Her little voice replied and she bounded into the room, her arms stretched out wide. Kyo quickly fell to his knees, allowing his daughter to run into his arms. He pulled her against his chest.

"Be good for mommy, okay?"

"I will," Kyoko promised.

Kyo released her and stood up. He turned back to Tohru, who looked like she was trying to fight off tears. He sighed leaned down and pressed his lips against the smooth skin of her forehead, "Remember, it's only 3 days. I'll be home before you know it."

He gave her one final peck on the lips before picking up his bag and heading out the door. Tohru and Kyoko watched him disappear down the dirt path and into the woods. He would occasionally glance over his shoulder, a small smile on his face.

The minute he was completely out of sight, Kyoko tugged on her mother's skirt, "Are you okay, mommy?"

Tohru was torn from her stupor and forced a smile down at her daughter, "Of course!"

Kyoko released her hold on her mother's skirt and bounced back into the house. Tohru kept the smile on her face until her daughter was out of sight. She blinked, feeling the moisture quickly threatening to pierce through her eyes. She quickly wiped it away with her sleeve and scurried back into the house.

_It's only 3 days. I'll be home before you know it._

--

Tohru rolled over the next morning, expecting to roll into the arms of a certain someone. Instead, she was greeted by nothing but a big, fluffy pillow. She sighed squeezing the pillow to her chest. She kept forgetting that Kyo wasn't home.

Kyo had called her last night when they arrived at the tournament. It had felt so good to hear his voice...

_I need to find something to do today or I'm going to go out of my mind..._

She peered up over the pillow and at the clock the was on the table beside the bed. It was only 7:00. Kyoko wouldn't be up for at least another half-hour. She sighed again, releasing the pillow and throwing her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up, stretching her arms out and making her way over to her dresser.

The minute her fingers wrapped around the handle of the dresser drawer, she could feel something strange in the pit of her stomach. She quickly clutched her abdomen, the nausea starting to build. Tohru could feel the pressure rising, so she quickly scrambled into the bathroom. She gripped the toilet seat and heaved. She slowly lifted her head up, shuddering when the worst of it was over. She flushed the toilet, using the rim of it to help her get to her feet.

_Ugh. Now I'm getting sick. What else can go wrong?_

She wobbled over to the sink, grabbing her tooth brush and tooth paste. The sooner this awful taste was out of her mouth, the better. She scrubbed and brushed until all she could taste was the minty gel in her mouth. Then she grabbed a cup that was resting near the faucet, filled it up with cold water and rinsed out her mouth.

_Well... at least my stomach feels better now. I wonder how I got sick, though? Kyo and Kyoko weren't sick. Kyoko! I should go check to make sure she's okay!_

Tohru snatched up her robe that was hanging on the back of the bathroom door, pulled it on, and dashed down the hall to her daughter's bedroom. She paused outside the door and tapped lightly on it three times. When there was no answer she cracked it open hesitantly, "Kyoko-chan?"

Tohru sighed with relief when she saw that her daughter was still sleeping, looking completely healthy. She closed the door, careful to not make too much noise. Then she headed to the kitchen to proceed with making Kyoko's breakfast.

Tohru pulled out a few ingredients from the cabinets and the fridge and started combining them. While she stirred a few eggs in a pan, her thoughts wandered back to what she could do today.

_I haven't seen Uo or Hana in awhile. Maybe I should invite them over..._

When the eggs were finished cooking, Tohru placed them on a plate, leaving them on the counter to cool off a bit. The smell of breakfast slowly wafted through the air, assualting her nose. Her stomach gurgled in response. She shook her head, reaching for a fork.

_I don't know how I can be hungry after that... I guess because my stomach is empty now. But these smell too good to resist!_

She stabbed at the concoction with her fork, scooping it into her mouth. While she ate, Tohru reached for the phone hanging on the wall. She knew Hana would be up already. Her fingers moved nimbly across the number that she had memorized and then pressed the reciever to her ear. Hana picked up on the third ring.

"Good morning." Her monotone voice greeted.

"Morning, Hana-chan!" Tohru chirped, swallowing another mouthful of food.

"Tohru-chan, how are you?"

"I've been better," Tohru answered truthfully and then proceeded to explain about how Kyo was gone and now she was sick.

"Sick?" Hana asked, her voice showing concern for her friend.

"Yes," Tohru answered but then quickly added, "But don't worry! I think it was just a bit of a stomach bug. I threw up this morning but I feel better now. It must be gone because my appetite came back right away. It was probably just something I ate at Yuki-kun's yesterday."

"Hm," Hana muttered, which was followed by a moment of silence.

"Hana-chan?"

"Oh! Sorry, Tohru-chan. I guess I just got lost in thought there for a moment. Why did you call again?" Hana asked.

"I wanted to see if you and Uo-chan wanted to visit today?" Tohru smiled at the thought of seeing her two oldest friends.

"Of course," Hana replied. "I'm sure Arisa's not up yet, but I'll give her a call later. You just get some rest and we'll be over later."

"Okay. Bye, Hana-chan!"

"Goodbye, Tohru-chan." There was an abrupt 'click' and Hana was gone. Tohru placed the phone back on the receiver and then finished off the rest of the eggs.

_I guess I was hungrier then I thought. I'll just make some more when Kyoko-chan wakes up._

Tohru managed to keep herself busy by straightening up a few things around the house before her daughter woke up. She paused when she saw Kyoko standing her her doorway, rubbing her eyes and holding her favorite stuffed animal in one hand. Tohru hurried over, patting her daughter on the head, "How are you, Kyoko-chan?"

"Still sleepy," She answered with a yawn.

"Does your stomach hurt?" Tohru asked, twisting a lock of her daughter's short hair around her finger.

Kyoko looked up at her, confused, "No."

"Oh," Tohru replied, a little surprised. She pulled her hand back, "Well then... would you like something to eat?"

"Yes please!" Kyoko beamed and then disappeared into the kitchen.

Tohru began repeating the process from before and in a few minutes, placed a plate of eggs in front of her daughter. Kyoko lapped them up eagerly, and inbetween bites asked, "What are we going to do today, mommy?"

"I think Uo-chan and Hana-chan are coming over later." Tohru said over her shoulder, as she began to place the dirty pan in the sink.

Kyoko perked up, "Really?"

Uo and Hana were like family to Kyoko-chan, acting like her aunts. They didn't come to visit as often as Tohru would have liked, so Kyoko was always excited when they would come visit. Hana would usually bring a small gift for her, like a doll or some kind of treat.

"Maybe they'll have a story they can tell me!" Kyoko wondered allowed, her excitment written all over her tiny face.

Tohru sweat-dropped, "Maybe."

Tohru finished cleaning all the dishes, got dressed and then started on the rest of the house. The cleaning helped to take her mind off of her illness. While her mother cleaned, Kyoko sat in the middle of the living room, playing with some of her stuffed animals. The little girl sprang up when there was a knock on the door.

"They're here! Come on, mommy!" She sang.

Tohru laughed lightly and went to let her two friends in, Kyoko at her heels. Tohru slid the door open, a smile still on her face. Kyoko bounced up and down behind her mother, her face as equally delighted.

Hana and Uo stood in the doorway, Hana looking no different then the last time Tohru had seen them. Hana's hair was just as long as it had been in high school, the soft, black waves ending near the middle of her back. She still dressed in all black, but was dressed in something a little softer today. She wore a ankle-length black dress with little cap sleeves and lace detailing at the neck.

Uo however, was a different story. Her dark blonde hair had been pulled up into a messy bun, a few strands falling around her glowing face. Tohru's eyes slowly traveled from her friend's face down the rest of her. Uo was dressed in a loose, dark blue shirt and light colored jeans. Jutting out just over the waist of her jeans, was a rather large bump. Tohru's eyes lit up, "Uo-chan! You've gotten bigger since the last time I saw you."

"Thanks," Uo muttered dryly, placing one hand on her stomach. "But enough about me. How are you feeling?"

"Huh?" Tohru's eyes widened and she could feel her mouth twisting into a frown.

"Hana told me you were sick." Uo's expression mirrored Tohru's.

"Oh! I was, but I'm feeling better now." Tohru quickly stepped to the side, eager to change the subject, "Why don't we go inside."

"What about me?" Kyoko asked, tugging on her mother's pant leg.

"Hey, squirt!" Uo laughed. "I didn't even see you down there!"

Kyoko pouted and stomped off into the house. The three older women laughed and followed the little girl into the house. Tohru told them to make themselves comfortable, so Uo and Hana settled down at the kitchen table. Kyoko climbed her way up into her booster seat, not wanting to miss a minute of the grown-ups discussion. Meanwhile, Tohru started putting pot of tea on the stove.

"So when are you due again, Uo-chan?" Tohru asked, taking a seat, while waiting for the water to finish boiling.

"Next month. Kureno and I still haven't decided on a name," Uo replied, patting her stomach.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Tohru continued, trying to ignore the fact that Hana was watching her with concern.

"Don't know," Uo replied bluntly, "As long as the little guy's healthy. Although, I have a feeling it's going to be a boy."

"How exciting!" Tohru gushed and Uo simply shrugged.

Uo then turned to Tohru's daughter, "So what's new with you, squirt?"

"Nothing," Kyoko spat out, annoyed at the nickname Uo had given her.

Uo laughed, "Really? Nothing new with you and Daisuke?"

"No!" Kyoko said defensively, her little cheeks turning an odd shade of pink.

Tohru quickly interrupted before her daughter could storm off in an angry huff, "Kyo and I have been telling her stories about when we were younger. She seems to really enjoy them..."

"Mhm!" Kyoko's mood lifted upon the change of subject, "Do you have any stories?"

"Hm..." The blonde girl placed a slender finger to her chin, thinking of one good story to tell the eager little girl.

"The school dance," Hana's monotone voice pierced through the silence. Everyone turned to because this was the first time the dark-haired girl had spoken since arriving. "Or should I say right before it."

Uo looked lost in thought for another moment before chuckling, "Oh yeah. Now I remember..."

* * *

((Flashback))

"OH MY GOSH! LOOK AT THIS!"

Tohru closed her locker, glancing over her shoulder at the sound of an ear-piercing screeching. A few of Yuki's fan-girls were crowding around a bulletin-board that was hanging on the wall opposite her locker. Tohru quickly turned around. She didn't want them to see her watching them, but she was curious as to what they were so excited. She pretended to fiddle with her combination on her locker.

"There's going to be a dance here!" One girl with long, flowing blonde hair squealed.

"When is it?"

"Next weekend!" Another girl chirped.

There was another group of unintelligible squawking. Tohru frowned, wishing they would leave so she could see the note for herself. Finally, one girl's voice sounded above all the other girls, "Awwww! It's guy's choice!"

"Someone has to ask us?" Someone whined, followed by a chorus of sighs.

"Maybe Yuki-kun will ask one of us!" The blonde girl said hopefully.

Tohru shook her head. She already knew who Yuki would ask, that is, if he even planned on going. The Sohma's didn't seem like the "school dance" types. They would probably think that it was too risky, unless they were to go with someone else from the zodiac, and unfortunately, there were no other female zodiac members Yuki and Kyo's age. So she guessed that they would just be staying home that evening.

"It's mandatory!" Another loud shriek tore her from her thoughts. "IT'S MANDATORY! THEY HAVE TO GO!"

"I HAVE TO GO FIX MY HAIR!"

"ME TOO!"

"OUT OF MY WAY! IF I DON'T GET YUKI THEN I WANT KYO!"

Tohru watched them all shuffle down the hall towards the nearest bathroom. She smiled awkwardly to herself, ignoring the strange feeling in her chest. She let go of her locker and made her way across the hall towards the bulletin-board, just to make sure that she had heard everything correctly.

_THEN I WANT KYO!_

Her heart throbbed as the girl's screaming rang in the back of her mind. It shouldn't bother her so much that someone else wanted to go with Kyo but it did.

_It's because I want to go with him... but it's his choice. Why would he ask me? We're just friends. He would probably think it was weird._ She thought to herself, stopping in front of the board.

She stood on the tips of her toes to read the purple paper tacked to the wall. In big, bold white letters it read:

**School Dance Next Friday At 7:00 PM**

**Boy's choice. Formal Attire Required.**

**ALL STUDENT'S MUST ATTEND! **

**MANDATORY EVENT: WILL COUNT AS HOMEROOM GRADE!**

Tohru scratched the back of her head. Everything the girl's said was true. She wondered why the school decided to make it a mandatory event. They had never tried to do that before. Maybe they wanted the students to be more social? Or maybe it was something else? She began to rack her brain, trying to figure out the reasons why.

"What cha' lookin' at?"

Tohru jumped and glanced up shyly at the voice she knew so well, "K-kyo-kun!"

He was leaning over her, careful to keep enough space between them that he didn't transform, his eyes fixed on the flyer. Tohru's heart pounded as she silently watched him, her cheeks a pinkish-color. He was so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body and the sound of his steady heartbeat thrummed faintly in her ears. It was a strange contrast to her own heart, which was beating a mile-a-minute.

"What the hell?" Kyo scoffed, leaning away from her.

"Huh?" Tohru blinked out her stupor, frowning slightly at the new distance he created between them.

"Did you read this?" He asked, frowning down at her.

Tohru blushed again when her brown eyes locked with his crimson ones, "Y-yes. You don't want to go, right?"

"What do you think?" Kyo scoffed. "A dance is a recipe for disaster for someone like me."

"O-oh yeah..." Tohru responded quietly, trying to mask the sadness in her voice.

Without another word, he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He turned and headed off to his next class. Tohru watched his retreating figure for a moment, blinked, and then scampered after him. She caught up to him, walking a few paces behind him, staring at the back of his head. She had no idea what to say to him. All she wanted to do was ask him to take her to the dance. She wanted to do it before all the other girls could get to him, even though she knew he would say no to them.

_But then he would say no to me as well..._ She thought with a frown. _I guess I shouldn't ask._

"Ugh. This next class is going to be hell." Kyo muttered, tearing Tohru from her thoughts.

"Why is that, Kyo-kun?" She asked politely.

"Because Yuki's in it." He replied, still muttering under his breath. "And so is half his fan club. When he rejects them their going to-"

"Ask you." She finished, her cheeks turning red.

"... Yeah."

They rounded the corner, an awkward silence passing over the them. Kyo, perplexed by her silence, would occasionally glance over his shoulder at her. One time when he looked back, while she still stared idly at the back of his head, they locked eyes. This forced Tohru to look at her shoes for the rest of the trip, afraid she would get caught staring again. After what seemed like hours, the classroom finally came into view. A hoard of girls were standing outside the door, waiting to ambush their prince the minute he came into view. Each one's hair was perfectly coifed and their faces were freshly made up.

"Shit!" Kyo frowned, one of his fangs jutting out of the corner of his mouth. He grabbed Tohru' arm and pulled her around the corner. With one arm, he pinned her against the row of lockers.

"H-huh?" She stammered and blushed upon contact.

"I didn't think there would be that many." He breathed, not even realizing that his arm was hooked comfortably around Tohru's midsection. "I figured that damn rat would have gotten here by now and got rid of them all."

"Maybe Yuki-kun did get here already, but they didn't leave. Maybe they waited to ask Kyo-kun." Tohru mused, still staring at his arm.

"Probably." He snorted, peeking around the corner.

_Figures it wouldn't bother her that tons of girls are after me. I don't know why I thought she might get jealous. _He thought with a tiny sigh. _I guess that's just me getting my hopes up again. I would endure that stupid dance if SHE asked me._

"Kyo-kun, we're going to be late to class..."

"I'll skip if I have to." He replied through grit teeth.

Tohru gasped, her eyes widening, "You'll get in trouble."

"Better then dealing with them. I'll take detention any day."

"You can't avoid them forever..."

"Watch me."

Tohru chewed on her bottom lip. She really didn't want Kyo to skip class; he couldn't afford to get into any trouble. She watched him push off of the wall and start to walk away. Tohru racked her brain for an idea, anything that would get him to stay.

"W-wait!" She gasped, grabbing his sleeve.

"What?" He asked, looking down at her, his crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

Tohru glanced to her left and to her right, trying desperately to avoid his gaze. She could feel her cheeks burning as he continued to stare at her. She squeezed the fabric between her fingers and squeaked, "Tell them your going with me."

Kyo froze, gawking at her, dumbfounded. He blinked once. Twice. "A-are you sure?"

Tohru focused on the floor, "Y-yes."

"But if you wanted to go with someone else... then you couldn't...."

"I know."

_But I want to go with Kyo-kun._

((End Flashback))

* * *

"Boy, we're the two of you oblivious." Uo chuckled, interrupting her own story.

"Yes," Tohru covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle a giggle. She thought it was funny that Kyo had really wanted to go with her all along. She kind of wished that she had asked him for real, instead of just to put on a charade.

_At least I still got to spend the night with him..._

"Tohru-chan, look." Hana said, one of her pale fingers pointing across the table.

Kyoko was slumped over in her high chair, her face buried in her arms.

"She must have fallen asleep during the story," Tohru giggled again.

"Jeez. I didn't realize I was that boring," Uo complained.

Tohru waved her off, "It wasn't you, Uo-chan. I think she just got all worked up because you two were coming today. She probably just tired herself out. It's time for her afternoon nap anyway."

Tohru rose from her seat and carefully pulled her daughter out of her high chair. She let Kyoko's head fall against her shoulder, her fingers stroking her daughter's back as she made her way to the bedroom. Uo and Hana watched their friend, identical smiles on their faces. Tohru really was a great mom, no matter how scatter-brained she could be sometimes.

After tucking Kyoko in, Tohru returned to the kitchen, a satisfied grin on her face. She took her place at the table, "What would you like to do now?"

Uo and Hana exchanged glances. They had been waiting for the opportune moment to bring something up with Tohru, but now they weren't exactly sure how to do it. Uo cleared her throat, looking directly at her friend, "So... how are you feeling, Tohru? Do you still feel sick, like this morning?"

Tohru look confused, her delicate mouth curving down into a frown, "No... Just a little tired, is all. Other than that, I'm fine."

"Tohru-chan..." Hana began, unsure of how to continue. "Is... something... late?"

The brunette was even more confused now. What on earth were they talking about?

Hana shook her head. It seemed that they were going to have to be more direct. Uo closed her eyes, "Tohru. Do you remember feeling like this before?"

"Maybe when I had a stomach bug..." Tohru's brow furrowed as she tried to think.

"How about right before you knew you were going to have Kyoko-chan?" Uo prompted.

Tohru froze in her seat, her brown eyes going wide as it all sunk in. Her fingers slowly made their way to her belly, resting comfortably on her stomach. She began to feel dizzy, a bunch of wild thoughts swimming around in her head. Morning sickness. Over-eating. Exhaustion. Why hadn't she figured it out before?

Without another word, she sprung from her chair and raced towards the bathroom. She tore open the cabinets under the sink, hunting through all the different boxes. Seconds later, she found the one she was looking for. She snatched it up, tore open the box, and pulled the little white stick out.

Tohru slammed the door shut, just as Hana and Uo came around the corner. Hana moved swiftly to the door, pressing one ear against it, while Uo waddled along behind her. The raven haired girl and the blonde took a step back when they heard the doorknob jiggle. Tohru opened the door, the tiny, white stick in one hand. Her two friends looked down and could make out a small, pink plus sign on the stick.

"W-we're going to have a baby..." Was all Tohru murmured, a bright smile on her face.

((End of Chapter))

* * *

FINALLY! Again, sorry for the long wait. Blame college.

Anyway, I felt like this one was rushed, but I couldn't really come up with a good story line for a flashback. So, I'm sorry that that part kind of stinks, but I kind of wanted to focus more on the present time anyway.

Also, I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, but I really wanted to end at that part and I couldn't think of anything else to make it longer (without it sounding too drawn out). Hope you guys liked it anyway!! :) I'd like to get to 95 reviews before my next update!!


	8. A Botched Proposal

Note: Surprise! See, I told you nobody died! Everyone seemed to be very excited about the new baby. I still haven't decided whether to make it a boy or a girl, so we'll see. I'll take some name suggestions if you'd like to submit them!

Anyway, I hope everyone had an awesome holiday. The only other thing that I think is worth mentioning, is that I think I'm going to wrap this up in 10 chapters. That's the plan as of now, but we'll see how it goes.

Replies: I won't be replying to every review, only certain ones. Please don't be upset if I didn't respond to yours, but these were reviews that I felt needed responding to.

_Anippe:_ Thank you SO much for all of your reviews. I hope you continue to read and review! :)

_PinkLikeCool:_ Lol yes, yes it was very cheesy, but that's how I think they would be (at least, Tohru would be). I hope you like How I Met Your Mother (I think Barney/Neil Patrick Harris is AWESOME). I think it's funny and kind of cute. Unfortunately I haven't been keeping up with the new season, but if I see it on lifetime I'll be sure to watch. Hope your holidays were good.

_brigee-chan: _Good guess! :)

Disclaimer: Don't own Fruits Basket. Never have, never will. :(

* * *

How I Met Your Mother  
_Chapter Eight: A Botched Proposal_

"W-we're going to have another baby!" Tohru repeated, this time louder. She started to jump up and down, a huge smile still on her face. She bounced over to her two friends, throwing her arms around both their necks.

Uo managed to wrap her arms around her friend's waist and hug her back. She pulled away, clutching her round belly, "Congratulations."

"Yes. This is very exciting news, Tohru-chan," Hana nodded slightly, a tiny smile on her face.

"I have to go call Kyo-kun!" Tohru gasped.

The brunette started to search for the nearest phone, but Uo stopped her by gently grabbing her arm. Tohru glanced back at her best friend, her eyes wide with confusion, "What's wrong, Uo-chan?"

"Don't you think this is something that you should tell him in person?" Uo asked, raising one eyebrow.

Tohru's mouth curved downward, "I-I guess, but I don't know if I can wait that long..."

"It's only one more day," Hana reminded her.

Tohru was still frowning, looking down at her feet. She wanted to run to the phone, call her husband, and tell him the news right away, but she knew her friends were right. She knew that Kyo would rather hear this in person then over the phone. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she could wait until he came home. It would be worth it, just so she would be able to see that look of excitement on his face.

"O-okay," She agreed, "But at least let me tell, Kyoko-chan."

Uo and Hana sighed in unison, "Fine."

"Tell me what?" A tired voice asked. All three women turned around and saw Kyoko standing a few feet away from them, carrying a blanket. She was rubbing her eyes, trying to wake up, "I heard mommy yelling about something. What's going on?"

Tohru knelt down beside her daughter, placing both her hands on her shoulders, "You're going to be a big sister, Kyoko-chan."

Kyoko stared at her mother, her eyes going wide. The blanket slipped from her fingers and smiled spread across her face, "R-really?"

"Yes. I'm going to have another baby," Tohru smiled back.

"Is it a boy or a girl? When are they coming? I can't wait!" Kyoko spewed, wide awake now from the exciting news. Her words came out in such a flurry, that Tohru barely understood what the little girl was asking. Uo chuckled from somewhere behind them.

"I don't really know yet, sweetie. I have to go to the doctor's and find out," Tohru explained, a smiled still on her face.

"Can I go with you?" Kyoko asked, tugging on her mother's shirt.

"Of course."

"Yay!" She cheered, releasing her hold on Tohru's shirt so she could throw her arms up in the air. Uo finally burst out laughing and even Hana and Tohru had to laugh at Kyoko's antics. Kyoko blushed, her hands slapping back down to her sides. She glared at the adults, before turning on her heel and stomping back into the kitchen.

"Oh no," Uo muttered somewhat sarcastically, "Now we've gone and made her mad."

"Don't worry. I think I know exactly how to cheer her up again," Tohru replied and headed into the kitchen after her daughter. Kyoko was standing in the middle of the kitchen and glanced back when she heard the three adults enter the room. She whipped back around, folding her arms across her chest. Tohru choked back a giggle and asked, "Would you like to hear the rest of that story, Kyoko-chan? You fell asleep before we could finish."

Kyoko turned to her mother, a slightly disbelieving look on her face. Uo walked up behind Tohru, rubbing her belly, "Yeah. We're sorry, squirt. Sit down and we'll finish telling you about that dance."

"I don't want to hear the end of that story," Kyoko pouted, closed her eyes and shook her head.

Tohru, Uo and Hana's eyebrows all shot up at the same time. Tohru stared at her daughter, disbelief all over her face, "You don't?"

"No," Kyoko opened one eye, a tiny smile on her lips, "I want to hear how daddy asked you to marry him."

Tohru's mouth formed an 'o'. Her brown eyes softened a little at the fond memory, "Are you sure that's the one you want to hear?"

Kyoko nodded enthusiastically and Tohru squared her shoulders. She shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable before she started telling her daughter the tale. Uo threw one arm over the back of the kitchen chair, while Hana folded her hands in her lap. Kyoko sat on the edge of her seat, eagerly waiting for her mother to begin.

Tohru took a deep breath and started, "Well, I guess it all began when we were walking around town..."

* * *

((Flashback))

"Tohru, hurry up. Let's get going already!" Kyo shouted from the doorway, scratching the back of his neck.

"C-coming!" Tohru called back, trying to pull on her shoes and walk down the stairs without falling. She managed to make it all the way down without stumbling. She smiled when she saw her boyfriend of nearly a year waiting for her.

They had been traveling around the world, just like they planned. They had left for their travels about a month after graduating, and Tohru had never been happier. She was with the one person she cared about more than anything in the world. But soon, she knew, that their travels would come to an end. They were slowly making their way back home, towards Shigure's house. However, today they had plans to get out of their hotel and do some sight-seeing. Tohru was excited to see all the little shops around town, but she was even more excited to be spending another day with Kyo.

"Sorry I took so long, Kyo-kun. I wanted to pack up all our things so we could just leave when we come back," She explained. Even though she loved traveling with him, she missed all of her friends back home. She couldn't wait to be reunited with everyone.

"S'okay," Kyo replied, waving her off with his right hand. He held the hotel door's open for her, grabbing her hand on the way out. The town was only a short walk from where they were staying. Tohru was thankful for the nice weather. It was warm, not too hot. She looked up at the sky as they walked, staring at a few clouds that passed by. Kyo led her along, knowing she was spaced out, and kept her from bumping into things. Tohru looked back ahead, when a soft breeze hit her face and blew her long hair around.

"How many more days until we get back home?" She asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

Kyo's lips puckered as he tried to calculate how much longer. To be honest, he really wasn't as eager to go back home. He liked traveling. He liked seeing the world. But more importantly, he liked having Tohru all to himself. He let out a sigh and said, "I dunno... I guess another day or two."

"Really?" Tohru's face brightened. She thought that it was going to be longer than that.

Kyo pouted, "Yeah. Why? Are you _that_ sick of me?"

"W-what? N-no! I just meant... I... That's not..." Tohru rambled, panicked that he got the wrong idea.

Kyo's mouth stretched into a smirk, "I was just teasing you. Calm down."

"Oh." Tohru breathed a sigh of relief before frowning up at him, "That wasn't funny, Kyo-kun. I thought you were mad at me!"

"'Course not," Kyo chuckled and squeezed her hand. "I knew what you meant. You want to see the yankee, the psychic and that rat. I have no idea _why_ you want to..."

"They're my friends," She said, somewhat defensively.

"Teasing again."

"Oh."

Tohru giggled a little, and Kyo shook his head. _You would think she'd be used to me teasing her by now. Oh well. I guess she's still not that observant._

A few minutes later, they could see the town on the horizon. Tiny, cream colored shops, with brightly colored, tin roofs, lined the streets. All of the buildings were packed close together, the sidewalks in front of them a chalky-gray color. Hanging off of some of the buildings or placed in front of them, were equally bright signs. Random trees or boxes of flowers were growing along the sidewalk, adding even more color to the town.

Tohru started walking a little faster, eager to look around. Kyo unwillingly picked up the pace when he felt her tug on his arm. They walked by the first building, Tohru stopping to check out the window. Inside the display, were two mannequins, each wearing expensive looking dresses. Tohru's nose wrinkled. The thought of spending money on something like that didn't appeal to her very much. Kyo laughed at her reaction and started walking again.

They stopped again in front of the 5th store. This shop was made of red bricks and had a deep blue roof. Hanging near the matching blue door was a sign that read: 'Hashiba's Jewelry'. Tohru stopped in front of the display widow, a bunch of glittering jewels catching her eye. There were heart shaped necklaces, covered in diamonds, bracelets encrusted with emeralds, and gold rings that sparkled in the sunlight.

Kyo watched gaze at the trinkets, a tiny lump forming in his throat. He knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Tohru. He wanted to marry her, but he had never actually thought about asking her. He didn't know when the right time would be, what kind of ring to get her, how to ask her...

"Kyo-kun?"

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "Wha?"

"Are you okay? Sorry I took so long looking..."

Kyo shook himself out of his stupor and started waking again. Tohru gave one last look at the window before following him. She looked up at him again, a smile on her face, "So what are we going to when we get back home? I really can't wait to see everyone!"

"Yeah-"

Kyo stopped talking when an idea came to him. He knew what he was going to do now.

"So... was there any place you wanted to go, Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked, looking up him tentatively. He had been awfully quiet these past couple minutes. She wondered what he was thinking about.

Kyo shrugged, "I'll go wherever you want to."

"Um..." Tohru looked around them, unsure of what to pick. There were so many shops. Kyo waited patiently for her to make up her mind, "we could go see a movie, or go in one of the shops."

Her suggestions sounded more like questions then statements, but the wheels in Kyo's brain started to turn when she said 'movie'. He could start putting his newly formulated plan into action right now, "Let's go see a movie."

"O-okay."

The movie theater was two buildings down from the jewelry store. Kyo waited in line and bought two tickets for whatever movie it was Tohru wanted to see. He was too nervous to remember what name she said. _I can't believe I'm doing this, but if I back out now I'll never work the nerve up to do it again. It has to be now._

Once they were inside the theater and sitting down, Kyo turned to his girlfriend and said, "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go to the bathroom and get some snacks. You want anything?"

"Popcorn please and thank you," Tohru chirped, sinking further into her seat.

Kyo nodded and darted out of the theater. He didn't have much time. He figured it would take a person about 15 minutes to go to the bathroom and get popcorn, so that only gave him about 25 minutes, what with Tohru's lack of observational skills, to get what he needed.

He ran out of the theater, almost knocking two people over, and back down the street. He remembered one piece that Tohru spent extra time staring at. That was the one. He ran into the brick building, a little bell going off when he opened the door.

The man behind the counter, dressed in a black suit and tie, looked up when Kyo entered, "Hello. How can I help you?"

"I want to buy a ring."

--

"Hey, Shigure, I need a favor," Kyo spoke into the phone, keeping his voice low. Tohru was taking a shower in the other room. They were in a new hotel, after leaving in that afternoon. It had gotten too late for them to keep going so they decided to spend one more night in a hotel. Kyo guessed that they would be back home tomorrow afternoon.

"Who is this?" Shigure asked nonchalantly, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"You know who this is," Kyo snapped.

"KYON? Is that you? It's been _ages!_" Shigure replied, his voice now dripping with sarcasm.

"Idiot," Kyo muttered.

"Alright, alright. What did you need?" The older man asked, becoming a bit more serious.

"Tohru and I will be back home tomorrow afternoon and I wanted to surprise her. Can you invite everyone over?" Kyo asked, twirling the phone cord around his finger.

"Oh sure. I love having people come over and trash my house. Why not."

"I'll clean it up," Kyo half-growled. "Just do it."

"Fine, fine."

"Good," And with that, he placed the phone back on the receiver. Kyo fell back onto the bed, his head hitting the pillows with a soft 'thud'. He reached over and patted his pocket, sighing when he felt the tiny lump. The more he thought about his plan, the more nervous he became. He didn't want to have to do this in front of everyone, but he knew that's what Tohru would want. She would want to be surrounded by all her friends and her new family.

_There's no going back now._

Kyo pulled the velvet box out of his pocket and slipped it into their bag, hiding it underneath some of their clothes. Then he changed into his pajamas and crawled back into bed, waiting for Tohru to finish her shower.

--

((The Next Morning))

Kyo rolled over, peering over Tohru at the clock. It was almost 9:00. He poked her in the back, leaning over to rest his head on her shoulder. Tohru opened one eye and, when she saw how close he was, blushed like mad.

Kyo smirked, "Morning."

"G-good morning," She stuttered.

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Tohru rolled over so she was facing him, her cheeks still pink, "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah," Kyo lied. He hadn't slept well at all. He was so nervous about today that he couldn't seem to fall asleep, "Should we get up and go? Or did you want to sleep some more?"

Tohru shook her head, "I want to get going. We'll get home faster."

Kyo sighed, leaned in, and planted a kiss on her mouth. Of course she would want to get home faster. _At least that gives me less time to be nervous about this._

They rolled out of bed. Tohru grabbed something to wear out of her bag and disappeared into the bathroom to change. Kyo changed while she was gone. When they were both fully dressed and packed, they checked out of the hotel and started making their way back to Shigure's house.

The closer they got to the old house, the more anxious Kyo became. His heart was going a mile a minute and he could feel himself starting to break out into a sweat. A million questions were running through his mind. What if she didn't like what he picked out for her? What if it was too soon? What if she said _no_?

_Stop thinking like that. It'll be fine... I hope._

"There's Shigure-san's house!" Tohru practically squealed. She would've tossed her bags to the ground and ran towards the house, but Kyo had a pretty good grip on her hand. She managed to restrain herself, but she still babbled excitedly, "Oh, I can't believe it's been over a year! How do you think him and Akito-san are doing? I guess I should ask him myself. I wonder if Yuki-kun will be there? Oh, I'll have to ask him how things with Machi-chan are! And-"

"Tohru. Calm down."

_Look at the pot calling the kettle black. I'm surprised she can't feel my hand shaking._

"S-sorry, Kyo-kun. Guess I just got a little over-excited."

They strolled through the gates, down the dirt path that led to the house, and up the steps. Kyo was gripping his bag so tight, that his normally tan fingers were turning white near the knuckle. Luckily, Tohru didn't seem to notice how nervous he was. She slid the door open, a huge grin on her face. Her smile fell when they walked in and it was pitch black.

"Hello?"

Kyo flicked the lights on and Tohru gasped. Standing in the middle of the room, were all of her friends; Yuki, Shigure, Uo, Hana, Rin, the list went on. Everyone was here. Tohru dropped her bag on the floor, "What's going on? What are you all doing here?"

"Don't sound so happy to see us," Uo snorted.

"Ask Kyo. This was his idea," Shigure pointed to the orange haired boy. Tohru's gaze, along with everyone else's, followed Shigure's finger.

Kyo could feel his nerves begin to increase tenfold. His heart crashed against his ribcage. Tohru stared at him, waiting for an explanation. Kyo took two deep breaths and closed his eyes. He dropped his bag to the floor, ignoring everyone else's stares. He tried to focus all his attention on Tohru.

He fell down on one knee, taking hold of one of her hands. A few people, mainly girls, gasped. Tohru stared down at him, her eyes wide, "K-kyo-kun? What are you doing? Did you hurt your knee?"

Kyo closed his eyes, trying not to laugh at her comment. He regained his composure and said, his voice even, "Tohru... You know how much I care about you and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I have to ask you-"

He paused to pull the precious velvet box out of his pocket. Kyo slipped his hand in, but felt nothing. His eyes went wide with panic when he realized that the ring wasn't in his pocket. He patted his other pocket desperately, hoping that maybe he put the ring in there instead. It wasn't there. He didn't have the ring on him.

_DAMN IT!_

"What did you want to ask me, Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Uh..."

Uo started cracking up, "Way to go, Kyon!"

"SHUT UP!" Kyo shouted jumping to his feet, his face bright red.

"Idiot," Yuki mumbled from beside Machi.

Kyo glared at him, his patience disappearing in an instant. He stomped off, a few more people chuckling as he went. Tohru stared at his back, even more confused now, "So... did he hurt his knee?"

Uo laughed again and patted her on the back, "Don't worry about it, Tohru-chan. I'm sure he'll try again later. Why don't you go unpack? I'm sure you're tired."

"Okay..." Tohru replied, still perplexed.

She grabbed two bags and headed up the stairs. She really wanted to find Kyo and make sure she was okay, but she figured that he would want to be alone to cool off first. She walked into his room and placed one of the bags on his bed. She unzipped it and began to sort through some of its contents. She pulled out a few of his shirts and began to fold them. As she was pulling out a pair of jeans, something fell from the folds of the pair of pants. It landed on the bed, near the pile of folded clothes. Tohru picked up the little, black, velvet box. She examined it, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"I wonder what this is..." She said softly to herself. Tohru glanced over her shoulder before popping the box open. She gasped when she saw what was in it.

Nestled inside the box was a silver ring. It was double-banded, with a tiny, diamond heart in the center. On either side of the heart was a row of 3 smaller diamonds. Tohru pulled it out of the box and studied the ring closer.

"It's beautiful..." She whispered.

Tohru gasped again when she suddenly realized what Kyo was trying to do before. She placed the ring back in the box, cradling it against her chest. She ran out of the room, calling for her. She ran down the hall and skid to halt when she saw him walking up the steps.

"I say yes!" She blurted out.

Kyo stared at her, blinked, then asked, "What?"

Tohru held out the ring and repeated, "I say yes. I mean, if this is what I think it's for..."

Kyo breathed a sigh of relief and took the ring from her hands, "I thought I left it in the hotel."

He popped it open just to make sure the ring was still inside. Then he glanced at Tohru. He grabbed her hand and led her back down the stairs. Tohru stumbled after him, "What are you doing?"

"I invited everyone here for a reason. Wouldn't want to disappoint them," He replied casually. "Plus, I want to do this right."

He pulled her back through the small crowd, back to where he had kneeled down before. He let go of her hand and dropped down on his knee again. Shigure grinned from beside Ayame, "Do you have it this time, Kyo-kun?"

"Shut it," Kyo muttered, before taking Tohru's hand again. He looked up at her and took in a deep breath, "Okay. Let's try this again. Tohru, I wanted to ask you... if you'd marry me?"

He popped the box open, the ring glittering brilliantly inside it.

"Yes," Tohru replied, smiling his favorite smile.

He pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. A perfect fit.

He stood up and Tohru threw her arms around his neck. Uo cheered loudly, while Hana clapped. Shigure and Ayame were fake-sobbing, whining about how their babies were growing up, while Hatori was trying to resist the urge to deck them both.

Yuki walked over to the two of them, a genuine smile on his face, "Congratulations."

Tohru stopped hugging Kyo and turned to him, "Thank you, Yuki-kun. I'm so happy!"

Kyo stared on the ring on her finger and smiled to himself. He had to agree, he was happy too.

((End Flashback))

* * *

Uo chuckled loudly when Tohru finished telling the story, "How did I forget about that one? Oh man! The look on Kyon's face was _priceless_!"

"Indeed. It was quite... humorous," Hana agreed in her usual monotone voice.

Uo stopped laughing and stared at her friend, "Hana, have you ever heard of the term 'buzz-kill'?"

"I didn't think it was that funny," Tohru whispered.

Uo didn't seem to hear her. The blonde girl glanced at the clock hanging above the stove, "Jeez, where'd the time go? Kureno'll be home soon. I better get going."

"I should be going too," Hana agreed.

Uo stood up, using the table for support. With one hand on her belly, She started walking towards the door. Hana followed her. Tohru sprung up from the table, "Let us walk you to the door!"

She grabbed Kyoko's hands and followed her two friends to the front door. She hugged Uo and Hana goodbye. Uo ruffled Kyoko's hair and Hana said goodbye to the little girl. Tohru said goodbye one more time, and then the two of them left.

"That was fun," Little Kyoko chirped.

"It was," Tohru agreed with a smile.

Just then, the phone rang. Tohru looked down at Kyoko, "Why don't you go play, while I get the phone?"

Kyoko frowned. She was kind of hoping that she would get another story out of her mom, and was a little annoyed that the phone had stolen her attention away. Before she could protest, her mother was off to the kitchen. Kyoko's shoulders slumped, but she decided to head off to her room to play with her toys.

Tohru answered the phone, a bit out of the breath, "Hello?"

"Hey," It was Kyo.

Tohru felt her heart skip a beat, "Kyo-kun! How is the tournament going?"

"Pretty good. I should be home tomorrow afternoon," He replied, not even bothering to try and mask just how happy he was. He couldn't wait to be back home with his family.

"That's great!" Tohru chirped. "I can't wait to see you and neither can Kyoko-chan. We miss you."

"I miss you too," He said, but then changed the subject, "So what's been going on since I last talked to you?"

"Well, Uo and Hana came over today, and I found out-"

_Don't you think this is something that you should tell him in person?_ Uo's voice rang in the back of her head and Tohru cut herself off.

"What?" Kyo urged.

"I-it's nothing." Tohru stuttered.

"Liar."

_How come I can't ever lie to him?_

"I'll tell you tomorrow when you come home. It's good news," She promised.

"Alright..." He said, trying to figure out what she was talking about. Why couldn't she just tell him now?

"Well... um... I'll see you tomorrow," She said, feeling her heart flutter again, "I love you."

"Love you too. See you tomorrow."

((End Chapter of Chapter Eight))

* * *

Omygosh... that chapter has been sitting on my computer for about a month! Wow. I'm sorry it took so long but I managed to write the whole flashback scene in one night. I was stuck with what to do as a flashback and then by friend started talking about picking out her wedding ring. That helped me come up with the idea, I guess!

Also, sorry the chapter's so short, but I couldn't think of anything else to add without making it seem to dragged out. Two chapters to go! :)

PLEASE REVIEW! I'd like to get about 115 reviews before I continue, but 120 would be even better (HINT HINT).

* * *


	9. In Nine Months

Note: There is A HUGE SPOILER WARNING for the flashback of this chapter. If you don't want to know exactly how the manga ends, then skip the flashback! So um... yeah. That's all I have to report for now!

Replies: I won't be replying to every review, only certain ones. Please don't be upset if I didn't respond to yours, but these were reviews that I felt needed responding to.

_Nysha:_ Thank you so much for both your reviews! I'm glad that you think I am a good/strong writer. :)

_KittyKat7641: _It explains it in the manga.

_KerushiiSohma: _Haha. I love Shigure, especially when he acts like an idiot on purpose (poor Hatori, I don't know how he puts up with it). I hope your mom wasn't too freaked out lol. I'm glad you liked this chapter so much! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

_Kyki Yune_: I laughed out loud when I read the 'left it in his other pants' thing! Thanks for the review! :)

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is not mine! :(

* * *

How I Met Your Mother  
_Chapter Nine: In Nine Months_

Tohru's brown eyes fluttered open to the sound of her alarm blaring in her right ear. She rolled over and smacked the off button. She blinked a few times before the red numbers on the clock became visible. It was 8:30. With one last tiny yawn, Tohru threw the covers off of her body and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She put on her slippers and shuffled off to the kitchen. She hadn't even been up for five minutes yet, and she was already feeling hungry.

_Well, I am eating for two_. She thought with a happy giggle.

Tohru poured herself a bowl of cereal and quickly downed it. She glanced at the clock; Only ten minutes had passed. Kyoko wouldn't be awake for a little while longer, and Kyo wouldn't be home until later in the afternoon. Tohru felt her heart jump at the thought of seeing him again. Even though it had only been 3 days, it felt like months.

She set her empty bowl down on the counter, beside the sink. Her free hands resting on her stomach. She could feel a tiny bump starting to form. Tohru smiled to herself, patting her stomach lightly. She wondered whether the child inside her was going to be a boy or girl this time. She didn't care either way, but she knew that Kyo would like to have a son one day. Not that he didn't like having a little girl, she knew he would love the child no matter what sex they were, but she could just tell that he wanted a son. Tohru assumed that all fathers were like that.

Tohru wondered how Kyo was going to react to the news. She hadn't even really thought about how she was going to tell him. He was there when she found out she was pregnant with Kyoko, and it wasn't really a surprise to him. They had been trying to get pregnant. Now, Tohru had the chance to surprise him.

Thinking about the day she found out she was pregnant for the first time, made her remember how it was to be pregnant. She couldn't believe that was nearly 5 years ago. It felt like it was just yesterday that she was walking around with that inflated stomach. She hadn't realized just how big Kyoko was getting. It made her happy, yet sad at the same time. Just as she finished that thought, she heard said girl call her name. Tohru immediately put down her second bowl of cereal and went to check on her daughter.

Kyoko was sitting in her bed, a tiny smile on her face, "Good morning, mommy."

Tohru's eyebrows furrowed, "Good morning... Is something wrong, Kyoko-chan?"

"Nope. Daddy's coming home today right?" Kyoko asked, still smiling brightly.

"Yes..." Tohru replied still confused, "Is that why you called me?"

"Well," Kyoko said, emphasizing the word, "I wanted to hear another story."

Tohru sighed, her head falling. She was wondering when Kyoko's fascination with these stories would end. She had been hoping that it was just a short phase she had been going through, but it didn't look that way. However, she couldn't say no if she knew it would make her daughter happy. She sat down on the edge of the bed, "What story would you like to hear?"

_Another date story? Our wedding? Maybe a another fairy-tale? _Tohru made a mental list of things she thought that Kyoko was going to say.

The little girl scratched her chin thoughtfully, her chestnut eyes glinting as she did so. She was thinking of what story she wanted to hear next. After a moment, a cheeky smile spread across her face, "When did daddy first tell you that he loved you?"

Tohru's breath caught in her throat at the memory. She was the first person to say those three little words. She cried when she told him how she felt and his reaction only intensified her pain. He told her her that her feelings were only an illusion, and he ran away. After that, she was alone and Akito came after her. She ended up falling and getting hurt pretty bad. That part was all very fuzzy, except for when Kyo came back and was with her until she blacked out again. She woke up, day later in the hospital.

During that time, she remembered having a lot of visitors, but Kyo never came to see her. That was probably for the best, because she knew she would have broke down if she saw him. She felt her heart splitting in two, like she was being stabbed, whenever someone even mentioned his name.

"Mommy?" Kyoko asked, touching Tohru's hand lightly, "You okay?"

Tohru was shaken from her thoughts. She smiled slightly and nodded, "Mhm. I'm fine. Just remembering something, that's all."

"So are you going to tell me the story or not?" Kyoko asked, her mouth dipping into a tiny frown.

Tohru's expression mirrored her daughter's. She was certain that Kyoko didn't need to hear that story. She sighed, shaking her head. _I guess I can tell her the second part of that story..._

"Well, I guess it all started when I got out of the hospital. Aunt Uo and Hana had been very strict and wouldn't let anyone come visit me, because I was very sick," Tohru hated telling lies, even if they were white lies. It made her throat sting, but she continued on, "I had already told daddy that I loved him, but he... he didn't know how he felt about me. He was embarrassed by it and couldn't say anything, I g-guess. Then I got sick before he could tell me..."

"Then what happened?" Kyoko urged, her voice filled with rapture.

"W-well..."

* * *

((Flashback))

"Ready to go Tohru-chan?" Hana called to her friend.

Uo was standing beside the dark haired girl, suitcase in hand, "Yeah, you're all checked out. Let's get going!"

Tohru smiled awkwardly and carefully made her way down the hospital steps, holding a stuffed animal in one arm, and her discharge papers in the other. Truth be told, she didn't want to leave the hospital just yet. It wasn't that she was still feeling sick, no she felt just fine, but she didn't want to see _him_ again. She squeezed the big, pink stuffed bunny Momiji had given her as a get well-present. It didn't help.

Tohru had thought about Kyo a lot during her time in the hospital, mainly about how he had rejected her. She felt useless and pathetic. He didn't want her; He probably hated her and thought that she was a pest. She didn't want him to hate her anymore than he already did, so she had made up her mind that she would just smile when she saw him, no matter how painful it would be.

She finally reached the bottom of the steps, letting out a sigh of relief when she was by Uo and Hana's side. Uo turned and started making her way towards the exit, while Hana walked right beside Tohru, "How are you feeling today, Tohru-chan?"

"Much better, thank you," Tohru chirped, even though she felt like her insides were going to burst.

Uo raced down the steps, Tohru's suitcase knocking against her side. Hana took the bunny from Tohru's arms, offering to carry it for her. The raven-haired girl joined Uo down on the sidewalk. Tohru stood in the doorway, not wanting to leave the comfort of the hospital. Uo motioned for Tohru to follow them.

Tohru took a deep breath, and stepped out the doors, the wind swishing her skirt around her legs. Her hair whipped around her and she had to admit, the warmth of the sun did feel nice on her face. She could do this. She could get through this.

She stopped in-between Uo and Hana, confused when she noticed Uo smiling at someone. The blonde-haired girl waved and Tohru looked over. Her grip on her paper's immediately tightened. The first thing she saw was an orange-head of hair rounding the corner.

_Kyo-kun!_ Tohru felt her cheeks go red.

Kyo stopped when they locked eyes, his going wide when he saw her. Tohru felt her legs begin to wobble and her thought became scrambled. Kyo's lips parted and he whispered her name. Tohru could hardly stand it anymore. Her heart was going to break in two if she stayed there any longer. Blinking back her tears, she dropped her papers, turned and ran in the opposite direction, not daring to look back.

Kyo stood there, mouth agape. He fell to his knees in front of Uo and Hana, his chest heaving up and down, "I wasn't expecting her to run away that fast."

Uo stood over him, her hands on her hips, "I should be laughing, Kyon. That was pretty funny."

"Indeed," Hana agreed, holding the stuffed bunny to her chest.

Kyo glared at them out of the corner of his eye. His hand curled into a fist and it came down on the pavement with a loud 'smack'. He jumped up, his teeth grit and bared, "Damn it! I'm faster than her. I'll catch her."

He took off down the street after her.

_I won't let her go._

He wasn't going to lose her. Not now. Not when he wanted to be with her, more than anything else. He saw her in the distance and started moving faster, his legs moving in long strides. He had to catch up to her. He had to tell her just how much she meant to him.

"People who just got out of the hospital shouldn't be running around!" He growled.

Hearing his voice only made her run faster. It almost felt like an instinct, to run away from him. This isn't how she planned for it to be. She was supposed to smile and pretend like nothing had ever happened. But it was too hard to pretend. She couldn't do it.

Tohru glanced up, her chest burning, and screeched to a halt. Kyo had taken a detour and gotten in front of her. He was blocking her path, one of his hands wrapped around a pole. Tohru felt her breath get caught in her throat. She blushed. Kyo looked pretty annoyed.

When her eyes locked with his, his face softened immediately, "Tohru..."

Tohru blushed to the roots of her hair before turning and running away, while screaming at the top of her lungs. Kyo leaned against the pole, his head down. He sighed. What was he going to do? Everything he was trying wasn't working. It seemed like it was over. He let out another growl and started running again. He couldn't give up now

--

Tohru sighed, plopping down on a half-wall in the park. She was tired and out of breath. It seemed like she had lost Kyo. She wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to force a smile.

_Smile._

But she couldn't seem to do it, not matter how hard she tried.

_I'm such a failure. No wonder Kyo-kun doesn't want me... _It wasn't like anytime before, where she could just tell herself that she would be alright, that she was fine. She wanted to be with him and she couldn't, and it hurt. It hurt so bad.

Tohru looked up when she heard her name being called softly. Kyo stood a few feet away from her, his chest heaving up and down. His hands were clenched tightly. Tohru flushed and silently wish she could stop crying. She felt her legs itching to run.

"Wait," Kyo pleaded. "Hold on..."

_Smile._

He started walking towards her and she turned away, smacking her hand over her eyes. She didn't want him to see her crying like this. She didn't want him to see her acting this weak and pathetic.

_Stop crying. Smile. _She commanded again, raising her hand up again. She was going to cover her eyes once more, when she felt Kyo's fingers wrap loosely around her wrist. She looked up, her face red and the tears now falling freely down her cheeks.

Kyo's grip on her wrist tightened, and then slipped down towards her hand, "I... I'm sorry. I was being selfish and only thinking of myself."

He fell down on one knee, his hand now resting on top of hers. Tohru's free hand anxiously curled into a fist. She stared at him, wide eyes, hanging on every-single word he said. Kyo stared downward, "I ignored your feelings, Tohru. I should have known that I might never have the chance to apologize. I should have known that I might be making the same mistake all over again."

He suddenly stood up, grabbing both her hands and pulling her onto her feet. Tohru let out a surprised yelp. He straightened up, "I'm sorry I hurt you and made you cry, but I'm not making the same mistake again. Just give me one more chance... with you."

Tohru felt the feeling drain from her legs and sat back down on the ledge. She stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. Kyo knelt down so he was at eye level with her, "I want us to be together. I hate not being with you because... because I love you."

Tohru sat there, completely speechless. Her fingers were gripping the wall. Finally she managed to spit out the words that were caught in her throat, "So... does that mean that I can be with you? It's okay?"

Kyo chuckled and grabbed her hand again, "Yes."

Tohru blushed once more and felt the tears forming in the corner of her eyes again. She didn't know what else to say to him and all she could manage was a soft, incoherent mumble. With his free hand, Kyo brushed the tears off of her cheeks and pushed her bangs back. Tohru shuttered lightly under his fingertips.

_This is like a dream..._

Suddenly, Kyo's head dipped down. His lips were inches away from hers. Tohru leaned back, her face as red as a tomato. Kyo stared at her, a blank expression on his face, "This is the second time you know."

"R-really? W-what? W-when?" She stuttered.

Kyo sighed and shook his head, "Never mind. You should remember it yourself."

With that, he snatched up both her hands and pulled her to her feet. Tohru loosely held onto his fingers, "Is it okay to hug you?"

Kyo nodded, his mouth forming a thin line, "You know that will only last a few seconds and that might be painful for you but-"

"Kyo-kun, I... I love you. So very much. That's not going to get me down," She interrupted, a brilliant smile on her face. Kyo couldn't help but smile back and pulled her into his arms, holding her close. Tohru's cheeks turned pink as she snuggled her head against his chest, gripping his shoulders tightly. Kyo buried his face in her hair, closing his eyes, happy that he didn't make the same mistake twice.

((End Flashback))

* * *

"... and that's all that happened," Tohru finished, adding about how daddy stopped turning into a cat when she hugged him after that. Kyoko knew about how her father, uncles and aunts used to turn into the 12 animals of the zodiac, but she didn't know about all of the incidents with Akito. Tohru and Kyo decided it would be best to tell her about all of that when she was older.

The corner of Kyoko's lips curved down into a frown, "I didn't know daddy was so mean to you."

"Well-" But Tohru was cut off by the sound of the front door sliding open.

"Tohru?"

Tohru immediately perked up at the sound of his all-too familiar voice. A smile spread across her face as she scooped up Kyoko. She whispered in her daughter's ear, "Remember, don't tell daddy about the baby."

Kyoko's chestnut eyes widened and she nodded. Still holding her child, Tohru made her way towards the front of the house. Her smile widened when she saw him standing in the doorway, a suitcase in each hand. She picked up the pace, closing the distance between them. Kyo pulled them both into his arms, squishing Kyoko inbetween him and his wife.   

"Welcome home," Tohru murmured.

Kyo chuckled lightly and kissed her forehead, "Good to be back. What did you two do with yourselves while I was gone?"

Kyoko pushed against her father's chest, muttering under her breath about how she was being squashed. Kyo laughed and took a step back, much to Tohru's dismay. Kyoko looked up at him to answer his question, "Aunt Uo and Aunt Hana came over yesterday."

"... Great." Kyo replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Kyoko wasn't bothered by his tone at all, "Yeah! And them and mommy told me some more stories."

"Which ones?" Kyo asked, his smile returning. 

"Um... about how you asked mommy to marry her."

His smile immediately fell. Of course Uo would want to tell that story. 

"OH! And guess what?! Mommy's-"

Tohru immediately cut her daughter off, "Um, that's enough Kyoko-chan. I'm sure daddy's really tired from his trip and wants to unpack his things. Why don't you go play while I help him, okay?"

Kyoko pouted as Tohru set her onto the ground. She glared at them over her shoulder before marching off to her room. Tohru sighed and Kyo scratched the back of his neck. Before he could ask about what their daughter was going to say, Tohru grabbed his arm, "Let me help you unpack, Kyo-kun."

"Sure. I actually have something that I want to show you."

"Me?" Tohru asked, pointing to herself.

Kyo laughed, "Yeah. Who else?"

Tohru blushed and glanced around, "Oh. Right... Sorry, I'm just excited that you're home."

Kyo snickered again, moved his suitcases over to one hand so he could grab Tohru's fingertips with his free hand. He led her towards the bedroom. Once they were inside, he closed the door behind them and threw both of his bags onto the bed. In one swift motion, he unzipped the bag.

Tohru waited patiently behind him, curious to see what he brought home. She was also anxious to tell him her big surprise. Kyo turned around, holding a tiny white t-shirt in his hands. In the center of the shirt, were big, red, stitched on letters that read: "FIGHT". Tohru's eyes widened, "Um... that's nice, Kyo-kun, but I don't think it's going to fit me."

Kyo's brows furrowed, "It's for Kyoko. I knew you would throw a fit if I got you something."

Tohru smiled sheepishly. He knew her too well. She moved a little close to examine the shirt, "Well if it's for Kyoko-chan, then I'm sure she'll love it. You know she's really excited to start kendo practice with you."

Kyo smiled, pleased with himself, and folded the shirt up. He turned around to place it back in the bag. Tohru bit her lip, staring at his back. Her fingers began to intertwine; she was unsure of how exactly she should tell him.

"Um... Kyo-kun?"

"Yeah?" He replied, without turning around.

"I um... have a surprise for you." She whispered, her cheeks turning red. 

Kyo glanced over his shoulder, his eyebrows shooting up when he saw her expression. He wheeled around, placing both his hands on her shoulders, "Is this what you wouldn't tell me over the phone? Tohru, what's wrong?"

"U-um y-yes..." Was all she could manage to mutter. Her gaze drifted down to the floor. She shouldn't have been so nervous, but she was.

Slowly and shakily, she grabbed both his hands. She slid them down over her body, causing him to blush. She placed his hands on her stomach, letting them rest there for a moment. Kyo stared at his hands, his eyebrows still slanted downward. Tohru whispered, "I-I guess you could say I h-have a present for y-you too..."

Kyo's eyebrows shot up and his jaw fell open. He glanced up into her eyes, his face still showing that he was completely floored. If she meant what he thought she did...

"You're..."

"W-we're going to have another baby, Kyo-kun," She said in a quiet voice, a tiny smile tugging at her lips.

Kyo's expression didn't falter. He stood there, his hands still resting on her stomach, mouth hanging open. Tohru began to grow alarmed. She squeezed his arm and tugged on his shirt, trying to snap him out of it, "K-kyo-kun?"

Almost as fast as he fell into a stupor, he snapped out of it. Kyo's hands swiftly moved from her stomach to the small of her back. He leaned down, crushing his lips against hers. Tohru was taken by surprise and if he wasn't holding onto her, she probably would have fallen backwards. 

"When did you find out?" He muttered inbetween kisses. His lips moved from her lips, across her chin and down to her neck.

Tohru gasped, "J-just yesterday. I-I wanted to w-wait to till' you got home to tell y-you."

She could feel him smiling against her skin. He planted one more kiss against her throat before standing up straight. He brushed her bangs away from her face, intently watching her face become even more flushed, "I'm glad you did."

She peeked up at him, "So you're happy?"

"Of course I am," He replied, laughing slightly. His hand moved from her bangs and down her dark tresses, twisting a lock of her hair around his fingers. Tohru smiled brightly, leaning into his hand. She closed her eyes, soaking in the warmth of his fingertips.

Kyo brushed his fingers across her cheek, "Tohru?"

"Yes?" She murmured.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, pulling his hand away.

Tohru opened one eye, snatching up his free hand, "Just about how exciting these next few months are going to be..."

Kyo chuckled again, "Months? Try the next few years."

Tohru's smile widened, "I guess that's true... We should probably go see Kyoko-chan. She's probably about to burst; she wanted to tell you so badly."

Kyo nodded and squeezed her hand. He led her out of the room, towards the soon-to-be big sister. He couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he imagined Tohru's expanding belly and what their second child would look like. 

"Guess I'll find out in nine months..." He said under his breath as they opened Kyoko's door. 

* * *

YAY... I know this chapter was VERY short and kind of summary of the manga, but I ran out of flashbacks and I thought that was a pretty important part of their relationship to cover. I'd like to get to 130 reviews please! :)

Um... I guess I'll give you a hint for the next and final chapter: JUMP


	10. Epilogue

Note: This is the final chapter. It's hard to believe that I started this story over a year ago. It doesn't feel that long. Anyway, thanks again for reading/reviewing. As for the hint, I'm not going to give you an answer just yet! :]

Replies: I won't be replying to every review, only certain ones. Please don't be upset if I didn't respond to yours, but these were reviews that I felt needed responding to.

_buyokitty_: Nope, nobody's going to jump. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

_Doryful_: Thank you!

_Marcella Jole Mercilee_: Time jump? Maybe... ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. :(

* * *

How I Met Your Mother  
_Chapter Ten: Epilogue_

"Ugh!" Kyoko fumed one Monday morning in the Sohma's kitchen.

Tohru pouted, reaching over to fuss with her daughter's hair more. She cooed, "But you look so cute!"

"No, I look like such a... girl!" The 17 year old hissed. Her crimson eyes narrowed and her bottom lip jutted out. She hated what the school's required their students to wear. The blue girl's uniform hadn't changed at all since Tohru had attended Kaibara High. The skirt, which ended just above mid-thigh, showed off way more of her tanned skin than Kyoko was used to. If that wasn't bad enough, Tohru had put little, yellow ribbons in Kyoko's hair. The bows hung loosely in her chin-length, brunette hair, similar to how Tohru used to wear her hair.

Tohru frowned when she saw her daughter's expression. Her brown eyes grew wide; she didn't mean to upset her daughter this much...

"Don't worry about it, Mom. I don't mind it." She sighed. She would just have to get used to it and after being accustomed to wearing t-shirts, jeans, and pulling her short hair into a ponytail, that might be difficult. It was just easier to move around and be active like that. She didn't understand how anyone could be comfortable dressed like this.

But, much like her father, she hated upsetting someone who, deep down, she knew was just trying to help her out. This was just a typical scenario in her house: her mom would try to help her out and Kyoko would loose what little patience she had and she would get angry. She couldn't help that she had a short temper. It was in her genes.

Kyoko whipped around when she heard a tiny snort. Tohru also glanced over her shoulder.

Kyoko's kid brother was standing in the doorway, covering his mouth with one hand. He was unsuccessfully trying to stifle his laughter.

"Katzuyama," Tohru scolded gently.

Kyoko wasn't so nice, "Shut up, you little twerp."

The boy shook his head, his short, reddish-brown hair swishing around. His dark brown eyes glowed with delight as he continued to mock his sister's appearance. Kyoko growled under her breath and stalked over to him. She took some of his pale skin in-between her fingers and applied pressure.

"OUCH! Stop pinching me!" He pleaded.

Tohru jumped out of her chair, "Um... Kyoko-chan, please-"

Katzuyama looked up when he felt someone's hand on his head. Kyoko released her hold on him. Kyo was standing behind both of them, his eyes narrowed slightly, "Katzu, stop teasing your sister."

Katzu frowned and muttered an apology, adding that he thought she looked pretty. Kyoko grinned triumphantly, but her smile fell when her father looked at her, "You shouldn't have pinched him. Isn't that why you take martial arts, so you can get all that out?"

"I guess..." She sighed, and affectionately ruffled her brother's hair.

Kyo decided that the fight had been diffused and he went to join his wife in the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around her waist, planting a kiss on her lips. Tohru blushed and kissed him back, while Katzu made gagging noises. Kyoko simply ignored them.

Sometimes she wished she didn't have to see her parents like that. It almost made her jealous because she couldn't seem to find the right guy. She was 17 and still no boyfriend. She knew she intimidated boys, but she couldn't help that. That's just how she was.

She sat down at the table, watching her brother inhale his breakfast. She had already eaten before getting dressed. She was dreading meeting up with her friends to walk to school. Actually, she was dreading school all together. She glanced up at the clock, cringing each time the minute hand moved forward. Finally, it reached the point where she knew she would have to leave. With a heavy sigh, she stood up.

Katzu still wasn't finished with his breakfast. Kyoko bopped him lightly on the head on her way out, "Have a good first day. Make sure you walk with someone so you don't get lost."

"Okay," He replied.

"Have a great first day!" Tohru hopped up from her seat and threw her arms around her daughter's neck. Kyoko blushed and hugged her mom back. She waved goodbye to her dad, grabbed her bag and headed out the door.

--

Kyoko stared down at her feet as she walked. She didn't need to look where she was going; she knew that dirt path like she knew the back of her hand.

"Kyoko!"

She looked up when she heard her name being called. Daisuke Sohma, her best and oldest friend, was waiting for her near the gate to her house. He was wearing the traditional black school uniform and had a huge smile on his handsome face.

"Well, at least one of us is excited..." She muttered under her breath, opening up the gate.

Daisuke's smile fell slightly, "I am... for the most part."

"For the most part?" She repeated, one eyebrow raised.

He chuckled lightly, "Lets just say I'm not exactly eager to see my fans again this year."

Daisuke, like his father, was treated like a prince by most the girls at the school. This wasn't a surprise to their parents, because Daisuke was the spitting image of Yuki, except his hair had a bit of a brownish tint to it and was a little neater than his father's hair. It was shorter and his bangs were more even.

Kyoko snorted in disgust. She hated those girls more than anyone else in the school. They idolized Daisuke, yet they didn't even know him. They all thought that he was "cool and aloof" when, really, he was just extremely shy and reserved. He only, truly opened up to people when he knew them really well, and because Kyoko was his best friend, he felt most comfortable around her. It was because of this, that she got a lot of grief from his 'fans', who all thought that he and Kyoko were more than friends.

"I'm sorry that you have to deal with them. Maybe we should pretend that we're not friends anymore?" He suggested tentatively.

She waved him off, "Nah, don't worry. I'll protect us if they get too out of control."

Daisuke's violet eyes widened and he smiled, "I don't think that will be necessary. I doubt even you could take on the entire school's female population."

Kyoko pouted and punched him lightly on the arm, "Quit braggin', Mr. Popular."

Daisuke laughed and shook his head. Kyoko turned and started walking towards the school, her bag swinging by her legs. She was eager to get this day over with. The faster it went by, the better.

Daisuke was walking a step behind her, "By the way, you look-"

"Don't say anything about how I look," She hissed.

He pinched his thumb and pointer finger together and moved them across his lips, zipping them shut. Kyoko's large eyes narrowed, scrutinizing him. When she was sure that he wasn't going to say anything else, she turned back around. As she stomped down the path, she couldn't help but be curious about what he was going to say.

_I wonder if he was going to say cu-... Forget it. I don't care._ She thought with a huff, her cheeks turning pink.

They silently continued down the path. When they trees started to thin, they knew that they were getting close to the school. Soon, the dirt path was replaced by asphalt and concrete and the trees became tall buildings.

"They said they were supposed to meet us around here..." Daisuke mumbled absentmindedly.

Kyoko looked up at him. She hated that he was like a foot taller than her, "Who?"

"Hayate and Aimi," He answered and wasn't surprised Kyoko scowled when she heard the names.

"Ugh. Why are we meeting them. All Hayate ever does is tease me and Aimi is alway hanging all over you..."

"I know, but-"

Daisuke was cut off by the sound of someone shouting, "There you are!"

"Hayate, slow down!"

The two figures started running towards them. Kyoko tried to force herself to grin. Daisuke leaned down to whisper to her, "Be nice. They're our friends, remember?"

"Is that what you call them?" She said through her grit teeth. Daisuke tried to choke back a laugh.

The boy, Hayate was the first to reach them. He skidded to a halt when he was about a foot away, "Whoa... Kyoko? Is it really you?"

"Hayate, you do the same routine whenever my mom dresses me up. Can't you come up with some new material?" Kyoko replied, her smile finally cracking.

Hayate ran one hand through his disheveled, black hair, "I just keep forgetting that you can actually look cute if you put some effort into it."

"Shut. Up." Kyoko growled, her hand curling into a fist. Hayate grinned down at her, a look of sheer amusement on his face.

Kyoko tried to suppress the urge to grab his spiky, black hair and yank it out of his head. After that, she would pull out his piercings, starting with the earrings and than the eyebrow one. Couldn't Uncle Haru and Aunt Rin have adopted a kid instead?

Daisuke put a hand on her shoulder, "He's just kidding."

Kyoko took a deep breath and calmed down when she felt Daisuke's hand on her shoulder. She was really glad that he was there; they always seemed to balance each other out nicely. He would calm her down when she needed it most and she could be his backbone when he needed it most.

Hayate's dark, brown eyes widened slightly and his smile fell, "Yeah I was just... kidding."

Kyoko flashed him a doubtful look and he shrugged in return. She kept reminding herself that Hayate was a year younger than them, so she would only have to see him right before and right after school. Daisuke sighed; the two of them would never fully get along.

"What's wrong, Dai-kun?" A sweet, feminine voice asked from behind the group.

A shapely girl brushed past Hayate and grabbed Daisuke's arm. Her chocolate colored eyes wide with concern.

"Nothing's wrong, Aimi-chan," Daisuke smiled innocently.

Shigure and Akito's daughter released his arm and returned his smile. Kyoko rolled her eyes and Hayate snorted, "What an actress..."

"Tell me about it," Kyoko muttered under her breath.

"... Jealous?"

Kyoko bristled, "What? No way! Shut the hell up!"

Although, Kyoko had to admit that maybe she was a little jealous, not that she would ever tell Hayate that. Aimi was gorgeous, drooled over by every boy in their school. She had dark hair, that had the slightest tint of purple and that wove down to the middle of her back. It contrasted against her porcelain skin, which alway shimmered in the sunlight. She was Kyoko's complete opposite: curvy, flirtatious, girly... She was the princess of Kaibara High.

Aimi ignored whatever it was Kyoko and Hayate were mumbling about. She grabbed Daisuke's hand, "Well, we don't want to be late on our first day, do we? Lets get going!"

Kyoko glared at the back of their heads, as Aimi dragged a helpless Daisuke down the sidewalk. Again, Kyoko reminded herself that Aimi was a year older than her and Daisuke, and she wouldn't have to see her all day. After a moment, Daisuke managed to free himself and returned to Kyoko's side. Hayate fell into step with Ayame, a mischievous smile on his face.

"What do you want?" She spat out when she noticed his expression. She looked back at the pair walking in front of them, her eyes narrowed.

"Nothin'," He whistled innocently. "I'm just trying to keep you from burning holes into the back of their heads. What's with that look?"

"What look?" She sniffed audibly.

"De-nial," He replied in a sing-song voice. "You're jealous that they're so close."

Aimi looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, "Yes. I'm surprised that you're not too."

Aimi didn't understand why Daisuke would rather hang around with that tom-boy. Sure, she could be pretty when she dressed up like that, but she was always so... rough. Kyoko was always shouting, yelling, getting into fights. Daisuke was the prince, Aimi was the princess: they belonged with one another.

Hayate stuck his pinky in his ear and swirled it around, "Why the hell would I be jealous?"

She waved him off, "Oh, stop playing dumb with me, Hayate. I know that you tease Kyoko-chan to cover up your real feelings for her. Plus, I know you've always wanted to be more like Daisuke. What reason don't you have to be jealous?"

Hayate turned away, trying to hide his red cheeks. Aimi smirked when he failed to hide his embarrassment. Suddenly, the gears in her head started to turn, and she began to see a way to get Daisuke all to herself.

"Hey, Hayate..." Aimi's voice turned syrupy-sweet.

"What?" He muttered back, still sore that she had found him out so easily.

"Why don't we play a little game?" She suggested, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

"Don't you start with me, Harpy," He scoffed. Hayate may not have been the smartest kid in school, but he knew better than to fall into one of Aimi's traps. She may have seemed sweet, but she could be manipulative when it came to getting what she wanted.

"Oh, come on!" She pouted. "Okay, it doesn't have to be a 'game'. Let's make a bet. Whoever can get Daisuke and Kyoko to go out with them-"

"Gets nothing. This is dumb and I'm not playing."

"Chicken."

"Am not."

"Are too! You're just afraid she'll reject you. She has no idea how you feel, so maybe if she finds out you'll change her mind!" Aimi suggested, trying to sound as encouraging as possible.

Hayate looked like he was thinking it over, finally he let out a defeated sigh, "Fine. I'm in."

Aimi's arm shot into the air, "YAY! All right, so whoever gets their respective crush wins. Nobody else can know about this okay?"

"Whatever." He really didn't care if he won or lost this stupid thing, as long as she wouldn't tell anybody about his crush.

"Then it starts as soon as we get to school," Aimi said, trying to hold back a devilish smile.

--

A few moments later, the four of them reached the high school. Students were already buzzing and bustling around the campus. Groups of girls were huddled near the door, checking their hair and makeup in little hand-mirrors, all of them waiting for Daisuke, no doubt.

"Let's get this over with," Kyoko breathed.

Hayate threw an arm over her shoulder, "You make it sound like a prison sentence."

"Might as well be," She shrugged him off. Kyoko scanned over the faces of all the students crowded around outside the school. She was trying to decided which ones she was going to avoid, when she spotted a familiar face.

She took off, causing her friends to exchange glances. She shoved through the throng of people and shouted, "Ryou!"

A tall boy with dirty, blonde hair that was parted off to the side glanced up from his phone. He brown eyes searched for whoever had called his name. He flipped his phone shut when he spotted her.

Kyoko slowed to a stop when she reached him. She huffed, "Hey! How come you weren't with Aimi and Hayate this morning?"

"Would you like the long or short version?" He asked, adjusting his backpack.

"Um... short?" Kyoko replied, blinking.

"Well, this morning, I woke up early because my mom decided to wake me up by banging on my door. She didn't think that I remembered to set my alarm."

Kyoko snickered. That sounded like Aunt Uo, but the idea of Ryou forgetting to do anything was ridiculous. He was one of the smartest kids she knew.

"Then my father nearly set the kitchen on fire," He continued, trying his best not to roll his eyes, "And after all that the last thing I wanted to do was deal with those two."

Kyoko finally cracked and let out a laugh. Ryou was always complaining about his parents. If he wasn't talking about how scatterbrained Kureno was, who reminded Kyoko of her mother, then he was whining about how Uo was too violent and overbearing.

Ryou stared at her, his mouth twisted into a frown, "Thank you for reminding me why I love hanging out with you."

"You're welcome," She wheezed in between laughs.

She always found it strange that her and Ryou got along so well, because Ryou never seemed to get along with people that were even remotely like his parents. But she liked him because he never teased her and was always straight-forward with whatever he said. He also had a low tolerance for stupid.

Ryou pointed behind her and Kyoko turned around to see Daisuke making his way through the army of fangirls, dragging Aimi along behind him. Hayate wasn't too far behind them.

Hayate grinned, "Hey, smarty-pants! Haven't seen you in awhile."

Ryou frowned, "Yeah. How sad."

Hayate didn't seem to catch the sarcasm in Ryou's voice and thumped his classmate on the back. Daisuke shook his head and said in a low voice, "I think we'd better start making our way inside. The bell's going to ring soon."

The group entered through the glass double doors and into the school. The inside of the tall building was blinding: white floors and white walls as far as the eye could see. The only bit of color in the halls, was the dark blue lockers that were lined up on the walls.

The first thing that they all needed to do, was head to the office and get their schedules. Kyoko already knew that there was a decent chance that her and Daisuke would be in the same classes and that Hayate and Ryou would have the same schedule as well. Aimi would probably be on her own.

_Good._ Kyoko thought with a smirk.

After they retrieved their schedules, and found out that Kyoko's assumptions were correct, they stopped at their lockers. Kyoko found hers with ease and pulled out the slip of paper with her schedule on it; her locker combination was on there too.

Just as her fingers touched the dial, she heard whispering from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw two tall boys standing a few feet away from her. They were trying to discreetly check her out. She cleared her throat, turned back around and tried her best to ignore them.

Kyoko was about to reach for the lock again, when she felt someone's presence right behind her. She sighed and turned around. One of the boys had decided to approach her. His friend was watching from behind them.

_Here we go._ She thought with a grim smile.

"Hey," The boy greeted, trying to sound smooth. He was tall, much taller than her, but that wasn't saying much because she was on the shorter side. He had dark brown hair that was a tousled mess and eyes that were as black as coal. Kyoko thought he was decent looking. He straightened up when he had her attention, "Are you new? I don't think I've seen you before..."

"No," She replied bluntly. This kind of thing always seemed to happen when her mother dressed her up. Kyoko wanted a boyfriend, but not one who only liked her for the way that she looked. Boys like him only talked to her when she dressed like this. It made her a little queasy.

"Oh," He said, trying to keep his confidence up, "That's weird. I mean I'm an upperclassman and have seen everyone at least once..."

Kyoko shrugged and was about to turn back around, when he started talking again, "Well anyway... I was going to see if you needed anyone to show you around-"

"Nope. I'm all set." She grinned, trying to hide how peeved she was getting.

"Right, since you're not new and everything," He was starting to sound awkward. He wasn't used to being treated this way by girls. "I was wondering if you were busy Friday?"

Kyoko let out a sigh, her eyes narrowing. She'd had enough of this. She crossed her arms over her chest, "You're asking me out? You don't even know my name."

"I-"

"And I don't know yours." She continued angrily.

"It's-"

"Don't care," She interjected, waving him off with her right hand. She turned around to go back to opening her locker. She expected that he would leave her alone now, so she was surprised when his fist slammed into the locker next to hers.

She squirmed back around so she was facing him. He had her pinned against the lockers, a frown on his face. Kyoko tried not to act shaken and hissed, "Back the hell up."

"No," He answered. "Don't you know I've never been rejected before?!"

"Yeah, well, there's a first time for everything," She mutter, pushing against his chest. He wouldn't budge. Kyoko was strong for her size, but this guy was as twice as big as she was.

"I'm not leaving until I get a 'yes'," He leaned down so his face was inches from hers.

Kyoko wished she wasn't so constrained or else she could have smacked him upside the head. The best she could do was pound on his chest and that wasn't seeming to deter him.

Aimi and Hayate rounded the corner just in time to see this little display. Hayate's eyebrows furrowed and he immediately became ticked off. Who the hell was that with Kyoko?

"What are you waiting for? Get in there and help her!" Aimi nudged him and pushed him towards them.

Hayate glared at her over his shoulder but decided to step in anyway. Even if he didn't have a crush on Kyoko, he still would have helped her. No girl should be pressured like that.

Kyoko was pushing and shoving with all her might. The guy was leaning down and whispering in her ear, trying to convince her to say yes.

"Are you an idiot?" She snapped. "This isn't exactly a great way to get a girl to go out with you!"

"I don't care," He mumbled into her ear, the sticky feeling of his breath causing her to shutter.

"She's right you know," A familiar voice spoke from behind them. Before the guy could turn around, he felt a tug on the back of his uniform. He was pulled away from Kyoko and he let out a sharp 'yelp'.

Kyoko looked up to see who had come to her rescue, "Daisuke!"

Daisuke smiled at her, while Kyoko's new friend stared at him in shock. He was being shown up by some underclassmen, "Hey, I saw her first. Wait in line."

"You'd think someone who knows everyone in the entire school, would know the class president," Daisuke responded calmly.

"Oh," He started to sweat. "That Daisuke..."

"Yes, and I believe that no means no, so please leave Kyoko alone or else I'll report you for harassment."

"R-right," He answered nervously. Daisuke released him and the guy darted off down the hallway. The last thing he needed was to be written up on the first day of school.

Hayate had seen the whole thing. He watched with wide eyes as Daisuke appeared out of nowhere and stole his thunder. He could only gape at his two friends. Part of him wanted to go over and find out what exactly just happened, but he respected Daisuke too much to do that. He had always looked up to Daisuke, because he was so mature and kept his cool no matter what. Hayate wished he could be more like that. With a heavy sigh, he snuck off, hoping that they didn't notice him.

"Are you all right?" Daisuke asked, looking down at Kyoko.

Kyoko brushed herself off, "Yeah. Just peachy."

"What happened?" He asked, concerned.

Kyoko glanced up at him and when she saw how worried he was, her cheeks turned red. She closed her eyes and turned away, "He was trying to hit on me. I could have taken him if he didn't pin me down."

"Well, he won't bother you anymore," Daisuke smiled, the smile almost verging on a smirk.

Just as he finished speaking, the bell went off, signaling that it was time for class to begin. Daisuke peered up at the clock hanging on the wall, "We'd better get going."

Kyoko blinked, "Gimme a minute. I'll... I'll meet you there."

Daisuke looked confused but nodded anyway, "Okay... see you later."

He gave her one last anxious glance before leaving for homeroom. Kyoko stared at his back until he was out of sight. She let out a deep sigh, leaning back against the metal lockers.

It felt like someone was trapped inside her chest, pounding against her ribs. Her heart was beating out of control. Her body was tingling from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Her stomach was doing flips.

What the hell was wrong with her? Kyoko took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

"You okay?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice from above her. However, she calmed down when she recognized who it was.

"I'm fine, Hayate," She snapped. Kyoko didn't mean to sound so bitter, but she couldn't help it. She was frustrated. She didn't want to be here, she was hit on by some asshole, her insides were tying themselves in knots for some unknown reason, and now he had snuck up on her. She thought that the halls would be empty by now.

Hayate, who towered over Kyoko, leaned down to inspect her face closer. Even though he was younger than Daisuke and Kyoko, he was still taller than them. He had doubled back, when he saw Daisuke had left, to see how she was doing. His chestnut eyes narrowed, "You don't look fine. You look pretty shaken to me."

Kyoko covered his face with her palm and gave him a good shove. Hayate scooted back, just to appease her. She grimaced when she felt him smiling against her hand, "Back off. I'm late for class and I'm not in the mood."

She pulled her hand away and turned, ready to stalk off. She was caught off guard when she felt him grab her wrist and pull her back to him. She stared up at him for a moment, dumbfounded.

"Want me to walk you? I don't mind being a few minutes late." He offered, trying his best to sound completely earnest.

Kyoko waited. She was expecting him to crack a smile and run off in the other direction, leaving her stranded there like an idiot. This had to be some sort of trick.

But his face remained completely serious. He stood there, waiting for her to answer him. She cleared her throat, her eyebrows shooting up warily, "Uh... sure."

She tugged her bag on, she had dropped it during the altercation, and stared walking towards her homeroom. Hayate walked beside her, his hands shoved into the pockets of his school uniform. He was doing his best to keep staring straight ahead, and not stare at her.

A question suddenly popped into Kyoko's head, "Hey... What were you doing in the hallway anyway? Shouldn't you have been in homeroom?"

Hayate nearly gagged on air. Normally he would have just lied his way out of this, but he knew Kyoko wouldn't like that. She would want honesty, and since he was trying his best to win her over...

"I saw what happened," He muttered, still not looking at her.

Kyoko's eyebrows furrowed and then rose again when she realized what he meant. She glared at nothing in particular and said the only thing she could think of, "Oh."

A moment of awkward silence passed between them, because neither was sure of what to say. Hayate took a deep breath, "I would have stepped in but... Daisuke beat me to it. If you ask me, that guy should have gotten the snot beaten out of him. Daisuke let him off too easy."

"I know. He's too nice for his own good sometimes and I could have handled that guy just fine if he didn't have me pinned down," She nodded in agreement. Her angry expression faded and Hayate thought he saw a flicker of softness. She tried to hold back a smile, "But I'm glad he came to get me."

Hayate only let out a grunt. He tried to ignore the way his heart was beating wildly in his chest. He had to ignore it because he knew that softness in her face was for someone else.

Kyoko peeked up at him and noticed that he wasn't too happy. She frowned, mirroring his expression. What was his problem?

"Was it something I said?" She snorted.

That stirred him from his thoughts. He blinked and glanced down at her. She looked irritated. He shook his head and then paused. He thought about doing something pretty risky, jumping in feet first so to speak.

"Who were you just thinking about? You got this really dreamy look in your eye," He said. Okay so maybe that was a little indirect. He was dipping his toe in, instead of jumping.

An immediate mixture of confusion and shock crossed her features. She couldn't remember looking "dreamy" and the only person she had just been thinking about was her best friend...

Her jaw fell open when she realized what was going on with her. She quickly shook it all away, shoving those thoughts into the back of her head. She couldn't let Hayate see her like this. She snuck a look at him and didn't miss the pain that flashed in his dark eyes. She was about to ask him what was wrong now, but they had reached her classroom. He stalked off before she could say anything.

Kyoko stood outside the door for a moment, watching him stomp off. She didn't understand why he was so hurt. It's not like she had admitted that she liked Daisuke out loud or anything.

_But I don't like him. I mean, he's my best friend... I can't. I don't. And even if I did, why would that bother Hayate? But it's not like that matters anyway because I don't like him... Right?_ She shuttered violently and grit her teeth. Arguing with herself wasn't going to help things. She shoved all thoughts of Hayate, Daisuke and romance into the back of her mind and entered her classroom.

Kyoko froze in the doorway when she felt everyone's eyes on her. The teacher looked like she was trying to make her drop dead with her mind. Kyoko sniffed audibly and tried to shake off the all the glances and gawking. She almost made it to her seat, when her eyes met a pair of violet ones.

Daisuke was sitting in the second row, towards the far end of the room. He looked worried and confused, just like when she had left him. Kyoko felt the back of her throat go dry and hot.

_No, no, no, NO_! She thought, sinking down in her seat. _Why now? Or have I always..._

She tossed that thought away immediately and silently began chanting that she did not like him. There was no way she could like him.

After the third chant, another thought occurred to her: How did Daisuke feel about her? As far as she knew, he just viewed her as his best friend. Sure, he had saved her before and was always watching out for her, just like an overprotective boyfriend, but she knew that wasn't why he protected her. She was his closest friend. Friends stick up for friends.

And besides, if Daisuke wanted a girlfriend, he could have his pick of any girl in the entire school. Why would he pick her? She wasn't the prettiest girl out there, and she knew she was rough and loud. Why would he choose her when he could have someone like Aimi...

Kyoko was so lost in thought that she didn't even hear the homeroom bell go off. She was still sitting in her seat when all the other students began silently filing out of the room. She didn't notice the strange looks and whispers going on all around her.

"Kyoko...?"

That stirred her from her thoughts. She peeked up and saw Daisuke standing beside her desk, looking more concerned than ever. He held out his hand to help her up. She hesitated before taking it. The skin-to-skin contact sent a jolt though her body. His hand felt warm around hers.

He easily lifted her to her feet, "Please tell me what's bothering you..."

"Nothing's bothering me," She muttered, her chestnut eyes searching for her shoes.

"Yes, there is," He argued. She would have bolted for the door, but he was blocking it. "Are you too embarrassed to tell me?"

Kyoko reacted in the only was she could think of: she got angry. She smacked him on the arm, "I said I was fine! Just leave me alone, okay?!"

That distracted him long enough for her to push past him and get out the door. She ducked her head down, so he couldn't see how red her cheeks were. Daisuke was still a little shocked that she had actually hit him. He shook himself out of his stupor and rushed out of the room, "Hey- Wait up!"

He followed her to there next class, calling her name the entire way, but she just kept on barreling towards the room. Although he didn't know it, Aimi had seen the whole thing. She had just exited her classroom and when she heard him calling out to Kyoko like that, it make her stomach churn. Her eyes narrowed at nobody in particular as she stomped off to her next class. She could only hope that Hayate was having a worse time than she was...

--

"Darn it!" Daisuke cursed under his breath. Kyoko had slipped into the classroom, and he knew he couldn't confront her there. They would just end up making a scene.

He sighed and leaned against the wall outside the room. He wanted to wait a few minutes outside before class started and blow off some leftover steam.

"Daisuke?"

He looked up when he heard a familiar voice. Hayate.

He pushed off the wall, "Hey, Hayate. What's up?"

Hayate's hands were resting behind his head, "Not much. I'm surprised that you're not in class."

"Well, I would say the same thing to you but... I'm not surprised," Daisuke managed to crack a smile, despite the fact that he was still conflicted.

"Haha," Hayate let out a sarcastic laugh. "I had too much on my mind to sit through another boring lecture."

"Like what?"

Hayate swallowed audibly and had a one second, inward debate on whether he should tell his best friend or not. He blurted out, "Kyoko's pissed at me and I don't like it."

Daisuke's eyebrows shot up, "But she's always mad at you. Why is it any different now?"

"Because I realized that I like her," Hayate confessed quietly, focusing on the floor beneath them.

The black-haired boy looked up when he heard Daisuke's sharp intake of breath. Daisuke was silent after that, not sure how to respond. He was happy that the normally immature Hayate was finally growing up and confiding in him, but he was also feeling something else. He was angry that Hayate might get something that he secretly wanted. Jealous.

Just as that word popped up in his head, everything else seemed to come to a screeching halt. He was jealous that someone else liked Kyoko. He had never really come to terms with his feelings like this before. He had always been afraid of so many things: ruining their friendship, things not working out, rejection... But he knew he couldn't hide it or deny forever.

He was in love with his best friend.

"Daisuke?"

Hayate's worried voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Daisuke looked up, his wide, violet eyes meeting Hayate's narrowed ones.

"Sorry," Daisuke croaked. "I don't even know what to say."

Hayate muttered, "You don't have to say anything. I think I already know what's going on."

Before Daisuke could answer, Hayate stalked off. He didn't want to have to compete with one of his best friends over a girl.

Daisuke opened his mouth to yell something to him, but promptly shut it when he realized there was no use arguing with him. Just then, the bell rang throughout the halls and students began filing out of their classes. Daisuke tried to make himself scarce; he knew Kyoko would get even more angry if she knew he followed her to her class.

--

Hayate tore through the crowds, his mind jumping all over the place. He stopped when he was clear of people, pounding against a random locker. When his hand started hurting, he stopped and ran it through his messy hair.

"Wow. What are you so angry about?" A familiar, lofty voice asked him.

He looked up and saw Aimi standing nearby. He could only huff at her and look away. He didn't need a lecture or to be teased by her. He felt bad enough as it was.

Aimi took a step closer to him, "I'm not going to kick you while you're down, if that's what you think."

"Thanks," He muttered sarcastically.

She put a hand on her hip, "Here's an idea? How about, instead of acting like a jackass, you tell me what you're beating up on innocent lockers for?!"

"If I tell you, it'll just upset you," He mumbled his breath, his back still to her.

Aimi put herself in his view, glaring up at him, "And since when have you cared about how I feel?"

Daisuke frowned. She had him on that one. She was always picking on him, so he had no reason to hold back. He should have ripped into her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. The idea of upsetting her, really upsetting her, bothering him.

"I guess I just...do. I don't know." He whispered. "We are friends, in case you forgot."

Aimi actually blushed, but she didn't know if it was from anger or embarrassment. He hands balled up into fists, "Which is why I was trying to help you in the first place, but you're not going to tell me, are you?"

Hayate was grinning now, amused by the fact that he made her blush. He guessed that nobody ever admitted to being her friend out loud, "Not a chance."

"Fine. See if I ever try to help you again," She snorted.

"Sure, sure," He chuckled. "Thanks for cheering me up, Aimi."

He expression softened into one of surprise, "You're welcome?"

Hayate began to walk to his class, leaving a very confused Aimi behind and his problems in the back of his mind.

--

Daisuke exited his second class of the day, his thought still a little jumbled. Kyoko ignored him, still mad about what had happened right before their first class. He tried to catch up with her after class, but she had bolted out the door. He made his was through the crowd, towards his next class.

He mouth went dry when he saw her waiting outside the room. He thought she would have ran off somewhere, like the girl's bathroom, to hide until the bell went off. He took a deep breath and tentatively approached her.

"Hey," Daisuke said softly.

She glanced up at him, her cheeks warming up, and then looked away. He let out a frustrated sigh and fell back against the wall beside her.

"Could you please tell me why you're mad at me? Is it because I tried to force you to tell me something this morning?" He asked patiently.

"I'm not mad at you," She snapped.

"Then what is it?" He insisted, his voice still calm. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

He looked down and saw that she was chewing on her bottom lip. That, combined with her rosy-pink cheeks and her cute outfit, made him gulp. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to imagine tom-boy Kyoko: T-shirt, jeans, and barely-brushed hair... not good enough. Even when she looked like that, it made his heart pound. This coming to terms with his feelings thing wasn't really working out the way he planned.

"I guess I'm just confused," She murmured, her eyebrows furrowing. Then she lied, "It's nothing you did, so don't worry. We're still friends."

Friends. Right. He tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest and smiled, "Good. Glad to hear it."

She smiled back, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. He beat her to it, his fingers brushing against her neck. Kyoko's cheeks went from pink to red and she let out a gasp. He chuckled and quickly pulled his hand away before she bit it off.

Daisuke was still laughing at her string of curse words, when he glanced over his shoulder, just in time to see Hayate run off. Daisuke's eyes widened. Crap. Hayate probably saw that whole display.

"What's wrong now?" Kyoko asked.

Daisuke looked back down at her, "Nothing. Listen, I'll be right back. Tell the teacher I might be a few minutes late."

He darted off, leaving her with a confused look on her face. He followed Hayate around the corner. He caught up with him easily (Hayate was tall and easy to spot in a crowd).

Hayate slowed to a stop when he realized that Daisuke had caught up with him. He only turned half-way around, staring at his friend out of the corner of his eye.

"You saw everything, didn't you?" Daisuke asked, trying to offer an apology smile.

Hayate nodded, his jaw clenched. He turned all the way around, his head bowed, "I can't believe I had to see that to realize that I have no chance."

Daisuke's mouth fell open, but he didn't say anything. He squared his shoulders, waiting for Hayate to continue.

"The way she is around you... it's different than how she acts around me. I know I've already lost."

"Hayate-"

The punk-looking boy cut him off, "Don't worry about it. I'll get over it. Good luck, though. I hope you can tell her one day."

"Thanks," Daisuke's smile widened. "We should probably get to class."

"Right. See you afterwards." Hayate waved and turned around to keep going to his classroom.

_Looks like neither of us is going to win Aimi._

--

After what felt like an eternity, classes were finally over and done with for the day. Hayate left his last class, stretching his arms over his head. Ryou walked beside him.

"Man, today felt like it was never going to end," Hayate groaned.

Ryou adjusted his glasses, "Maybe if you didn't complain, it would go by faster."

"Right..." Hayate replied, completely ignoring whatever it was Ryou just said. He had spotted Aimi in the distance and was already prepping what he needed to say. He was giving up and forfeiting their contest.

The dark-haired girl was standing in front of her open locker, fixing her hair in a tiny mirror that was hanging on the inside door of her locker. Hayate shoved his hands into his pockets and approached her, "What are you getting all dolled up for?"

"I have a plan that's going to cinch this game for me," She said, whipping out a tiny mascara tube. She carefully applied some to her right eyelashes.

"Yeah, about that..."

"Not now, Hayate." She said, the words coming out in a flurry. She shut her locker and marched off to complete her plan. Hayate sighed and followed her.

He wasn't surprised when she found what she was looking for: Kyoko's "boyfriend" from this morning. Hayate may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but he could see what Aimi was trying to do. She was going to get herself into trouble with this guy, like Kyoko had done this morning, and she was going to hope that Daisuke would come to her rescue. Hayate guessed that Daisuke was busy over at Kyoko's locker.

_Idiot. Guess it's up to me to fill Daisuke's shoes. She's going to hate me for this..._ He thought grimly.

He waited patiently until the boy-toy had Aimi pinned against the lockers. She started to feign being panicked when he didn't pull away. She looked all around for Daisuke, not even noticing Hayate. When she realized Daisuke wasn't coming, her panic became real.

"Want to head back to my place?" The unsuspecting pawn asked, a smirk on his face.

Aimi pushed against his chest, "Not really. I-I was just kidding!"

The boy's smirk tipped upside down, and he leaned a little closer, "So you were just toying with me? That's hardly fair. I should at least get something out of this!"

She cringed at how loud he was getting, and shrunk back against the lockers. He was about to lean in a kiss her, when a pair of hands wrapped around his eyes, blinding him.

"Hey!" He protested.

"Daisuke!" Aimi said happily. She was just guessing who it was, because she couldn't see her savior's face.

"Wrong. Guess again." Hayate peered around the guys head to grin at her. Aimi's jaw fell open.

Hayate led the blinded boy away from Aimi, and released him at the end of the hall. He thumped him on the back, "Sorry about that. I wasn't keeping a close enough eye on her. She must've slipped away when I wasn't lookin'."

He felt a jab on his shoulder, "Don't talk about me like I'm an animal!"

He glanced over his shoulder at Aimi and simply ignored her. He turned back to the young man, apologized again, and ushered him off.

"Don't ignore me, you brat!" She crowed.

"That's not the tone I'd take with someone who just saved my ass." He said, trying his best to look bored and uninterested. "Did you even know what you were getting yourself into? You could've gotten hurt if I didn't show up."

"I thought I could-"

"You thought you could manipulate that guy and get Daisuke to come save you. You must've seen what happened to Kyoko this morning."

"Yes," She confessed quietly. "Is that so bad though? I just wanted his attention."

"Have you ever thought about moving on to someone else-"

"You're not suggesting I go out with you?" She interrupted, her eyes narrowing.

Hayate blushed to the roots of his hair and muttered, "When pigs fly. What I meant was, that you could date any guy you wanted. You could try going after someone who might be interested in you."

"Whatever."

"I'll take that as a 'no'," He replied casually. Hayate started making his way towards the exit of the building.

Ryou, Kyoko, and Daisuke were waiting for them by the entrance. Daisuke and Kyoko were both avoiding eye contact with one another and weren't holding hands or anything. Hayate guessed that Daisuke didn't tell Kyoko how he felt. Oh well.

Before they reached their other friends, Hayate continued his and Aimi's conversation, "Well, think about moving on. I know I'm starting to."

"Really, does that mean that I win?" She looked up at him and he nodded solemnly. She grinned.

"Well, you can try moving on and find someone else, but I'm not giving up!" Aimi said, determined as ever.

Hayate sighed as they reached the group, "Oh, I already have found someone else. Unfortunately."

He could only laugh and shake off the strange looks his friends gave him, as they all started to make their way back home.

((The End))

* * *

That's all folks! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it! I know this last chapter focused solely on the kids and I hope that was okay. I thought that it would be a nice ending and you'd get to see what happened even farther in the future (Hayate is my favorite, in case you couldn't tell). If you'd like to see pictures of the kids, go to my deviantart page (the link is on my profile page). I'm not the best artist but I'm happy with how they turned out. Maybe I'll do a couple comics with them...

But now I'm ranting. Again, thanks for sticking with me and reading/reviewing! See you at my next story!! :)


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